Comparison of Upper and Lower Extremity Functions in Primary and Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to find out whether upper extremity is relatively preserved and to what extent it is affected by Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS) through the evaluation and comparison of upper extremity fine motor skills and walking ability in PPMS and Secodary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 4 and above. Material and Methods: A total of 65 progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients admitted to the Neurology Outpatient Clinic of Yüzüncü Yıl University Faculty of Medicine between January and December 2017 with EDSS scores ranging from 4.0 to 8.5 were included in our study. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), 9-Hole Peg Test (9-HPT) and Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW) Test were applied to the patients. Results: 9-Hole Peg Test right hand score of PPMS patients with EDSS score between 5.1 and 6.0 was 32.89±7.42 sec, whereas in SPMS patients within the same score range, it was 56.15±54.57 sec (p>0.05). 9-Hole Peg Test left hand score was found as 39.64±16.71 sec in PPMS patients and 47.51±27.32 sec (p>0.05) in SPMS patients. 9-Hole Peg Test mean score was 36.25±11.83 sec in PPMS patients and 51.83±38.18 sec in SPMS patients (p>0.05). The T25FW test was calculated only for 39 patients who were able to perform all tests. In 14 patients with PPMS, the first-stage T25FW test score was 35.62±22.2 sec, the second-stage score was 36.21±24.73 sec, and the mean T25FW test score was 35.92±22.81 sec. In 25 of SPMS patients, the first-stage T25FW test result was 36,12±32,84 sec, the second-stage T25FW test result was 32,77±26,11 sec, and the mean T25FW test result was 34,4±28,75 sec. Conclusion: In PPMS and SPMS patients with EDSS score of 5.1-6.0, the mean EDSS scores were observed to be closer to each other, and in PPMS patients in this group, the upper extremity function was relatively better, although not statistically significant. No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of lower extremity function. © 2019 by Türkiye Klinikleri.