Disease Severity and Progression in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Multiple System Atrophy: Validation of the NNIPPS – PARKINSON PLUS SCALE
2011

Validation of the NNIPPS - Parkinson Plus Scale

Sample size: 760 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Christine A. M. Payan, François Viallet, Bernhard G. Landwehrmeyer, Anne-Marie Bonnet, Michel Borg, Franck Durif, Lucette Lacomblez, Frédéric Bloch, Marc Verny, Jacques Fermanian, Yves Agid, Albert C. Ludolph, Peter N. Leigh, Gilbert Bensimon

Primary Institution: Département de Pharmacologie Clinique, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, APHP, UPMC Pharmacologie, Paris, France

Hypothesis

The NNIPPS study aims to evaluate disease severity and progression in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) using a new clinical rating scale.

Conclusion

The NNIPPS-PPS scale is valid, reliable, and sensitive for measuring disease severity and progression in PSP and MSA.

Supporting Evidence

  • The NNIPPS diagnostic criteria were highly sensitive and specific.
  • The total score was significantly related to survival.
  • Inter-rater reliability was high for the total score and most dimensions.
  • Patients with PSP showed a faster rate of progression compared to those with MSA.
  • The scale demonstrated good convergent validity with other clinical measures.
  • Predictive validity was confirmed through survival analysis.
  • The scale is suitable for use in clinical studies with PSP or MSA.

Takeaway

Researchers created a new scale to measure how severe and fast the diseases PSP and MSA progress, and it works well.

Methodology

Patients were assessed at entry and every 6 months for up to 3 years, with evaluations of the scale's psychometric properties including reliability, validity, and responsiveness.

Potential Biases

Potential biases in scoring due to fluctuations in clinical symptoms and differences in interview techniques.

Limitations

Some dimensions of the scale showed limited information and were biased at follow-up due to the inability to assess certain symptoms in patients who could not stand.

Participant Demographics

Patients included 362 with PSP and 398 with MSA, with a mean age of 66 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.0001

Statistical Significance

p<0.0001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0022293

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