Validation of the Brazilian version of the berg balance scale for patients with Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Background: Changes in balance occur with the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective: To validate the Brazilian version of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) for PD patients, determining its reliability and internal consistency and correlating it with PD-specific instruments. Method: We evaluated 53 patients (M/F 37/16, mean age±SD, 62±7.9 years) with PD (mean±SD, 7.8±4.4 years). Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Schwab and England Scale (S&E), Hoehn and Yahr Staging Scale (HY) and BBS were used to assess patients. Statistical analyses for inter-rater reliability, internal consistency and correlations among BBS, UPDRS, S&E and HY were performed. Results: The mean scores±SD on UPDRS and BBS were, respectively, 41.6±17.8 and 47.2±8.2. The median on S&E and HY scales were 80% and 2.5, respectively. The BBS presented a high intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC=0.84) and internal consistency (Cronbrach's α=0.92). There was a statistically significant correlation between BBS and disease duration (rs= -0.520, p<0.001), UPDRS subscales II and III (rs= -0.467, p=0.011; rs=-0.374, p=0.046, respectively), stage of disease (HY; rs= -0.507, p<0.001) and the activities of daily living (S&E; rs=0.492, p<0.001). Conclusion: The BBS is a promising tool for the assessment of balance in PD, correlating with the stage of disease and the level of independence.