Uso do instrumento TUG-ABS português-Brasil para avaliação funcional de indivíduos com Doença de Parkinson com distintos níveis de mobilidade: um estudo transversal

Abstract

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, whose main motor signals - postural instability, bradykinesia, rest tremor and stiffness - progress decreasing functional mobility. For the evaluation of functional mobility, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and also the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) test have been widely used. Recently, the Timed Up and Go Assessment of Biomechanical Strategies (TUG-ABS) test was developed to complement information brought by the TUG test; however, it has still been rarely used in individuals with PD. Objectives: To analyze the functional mobility activities performed by individuals with PD, through the TUG-ABS test. Methods: Twenty-seven volunteers of both sexes, mean age of 61.1 years, in the mild to moderate phase of the disease participated in this study. Participants were asked to perform the TUG test, and their performance was recorded in conventional filming. The recordings served to score the TUG-ABS test, made by an experienced examiner. Participants were also evaluated with the SPPB test. For mobility analysis, participants were divided into two groups: more impaired mobility (more than 10 seconds to complete the TUG test) and less compromised mobility (TUG test in up to 10 seconds). The groups were compared as to the scores of each sub-item (sitting to standing, walking, turning, transfer from standing to sitting) and the total TUG-ABS score. A correlation analysis was also performed between the total TUG-ABS score and the total score of the SPPB test. Results: When comparing the total TUG-ABS score between the groups, statistically significant differences (p <0.05) were observed, as well as when comparing the scores of each item, except in the sitting-to-standing activity, in which the groups scored similar scores (p> 0.05). The gait and the spin were the items that presented the greatest discrepancy between the groups. There was also a moderate and positive correlation between the TUG-ABS total score and SPPB (p <0.001; r = 0.66). Conclusion: The TUG-ABS test seems to be a valid instrument to evaluate the functional mobility of individuals with PD, capable of providing information about the biomechanical strategies used in functional mobility activities, also allowing identification of the activities that are most affected in these individuals and that have repercussions in the time of the TUG test.