The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)
- 1. Perlmutter, Joel S. 'Assessment of Parkinson Disease Manifestations.' _Current Protocols in Neuroscience_, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897716/#:~:text=The most common rating scales,how to implement these ratings.
- 2. Publishing, Harvard Health. 'The Facts about Parkinson's Disease.' _Harvard Health_, www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-facts-about-parkinsons-disease.
- 3. Treatment.” _Parkinson's Foundation_, www.parkinson.org/Understanding-Parkinsons/Treatment.
- 4. 'Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Movement Disorders Society (MDS) Modified Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS).' _APTA_, www.apta.org/patient-care/evidence-based-practice-resources/test-measures/unified-parkinsons-disease-rating-scale-updrs-movement-disorders-society-mds-modified-unified-parkinsons-disease-rating-scale-mds-updrs.
- 5. Association, European Parkinson's Disease. 'Rating Scales.' _Rating Scales | European Parkinson's Disease Association_, www.epda.eu.com/about-parkinsons/symptoms/rating-scales/.
7. Complications of Therapy
The UPDRS includes a section focused on complications of therapies Parkinson’s disease patients are receiving. It considers whether or not dyskinesia is present, along with how often it occurs and how disabling and painful it is for the patient. Dyskinesia refers to involuntary movements.
Additionally, this part of the scale helps physicians assess clinical fluctuations and “off” periods and changes in blood pressure. It also checks for complications such as anorexia, nausea and sleep disturbances.
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