Clinical Study of the Impairment of the Activities of Daily Living in Parkinson's Disease

293 patients suffering from Parkinsons disease, randomly picked, were studied. The patients condition was assessed by the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale UPDRS. The modified Hoehn and Jahr scale and the Schwab and England Activities of Daily Life Scale were also used. Electromyography studies of tremor were conducted as well. The results obtained were processed with the help of statistical methods. Static tremor had the highest incidence found in 274 patients (93, 1 %), followed by walking disorders in 203 patients (69, 29 %) and difficulties in dressing in 195 patients (66, 5 %). The moderate, bothersome to the patient tremor prove to be the most frequently observed symptom in 158 patients (53, 9 %), followed by severe tremor, which interferes with many of the patients in 82 patients (25, 9 %). Their incidence increased considerably as compared to the marked tremor in 9 patients (3 %). Mild difficulties in walking, when the patient may swing arms and slip and drag legs, found in 108 patients (36, 8 %), were considerably more frequent as compared to the inability to walk alone, even when assisted, observed in 4 patients (3 %). Slowed dressing in 109 patients (37, 2 %) was more frequent as compared to cases when considerable help was required in 6 patients (2 %). The studied group of patients manifested other basic symptoms of the disease as well.