title: Comparison between the spastic paraplegia rating scale, Kurtzke scale, and Osame scale in the tropical spastic paraparesis/myelopathy associated with HTLV.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to compare Osame's scale of motor incapacity and the expanded scale of the state of incapacity of Kurtzke with the spastic paraplegia rating scale for the clinical evaluation of patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with the diagnosis of infection by HTLV-I/HTLV-II and with the clinical suspicion of HAM/TSP were included in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 45 patients who were evaluated. When analyzing the results of the scales, the researchers found the following averages of 21.08 points for the spastic paraplegia rating scale, 4.35 points for Osame's scale, and 4.77 points for Kurtzke's scale. The relation between the scale of paraplegia with Osame's was very significant with p < 0.0001, and regarding Kurtzke's scale, there was a similar result of p < 0.0001. When comparing Osame's, Kurtze's, and the spastic paraplegia rating scale with the time of disease, the researchers found a significant result of p = 0.0004 for the scale of spastic paraplegia, p = 0.0018 for Osame's scale, and p < 0.0001 for Kurtzke's scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The spastic paraplegia rating scale has a good relation with Osame's and Kurtzke's scales showing a p index that is very significant that indicates that, although the scale was not initially made to be applied to patients with HAM/TSP because of the infection by HLTV, it showed to be as efficient as Osame's and Kurtzke's scales in evaluating the patients' neurological conditions.
authors: Departamento de Neurocirurgia, Hospital de Base de São José do Rio Preto, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brasil. rodrigoadry@yahoo.fr
authors: Rodrigo Antonio Rocha da Cruz
authors: RA
authors: Adry
authors: Catarina Cöuras
authors: CC
authors: Lins
authors: Ramon de Almeida
authors: Rde A
authors: Kruschewsky
authors: Bernardo Galvão
authors: BG
authors: Castro Filho
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000145:classification*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index