Maria Kłoda, Renata Kowalska-Taczanowska, Grażyna Brzuszkiewicz-Kuźmicka, Andrzej Friedman

M. Kłoda, R. Kowalska-Taczanowska, G. Brzuszkiewicz-Kuźmicka, A. Friedman – The Pathogenesis of Parkinson’s Disease Related Balance Disorders. The Balance Disorders Evaluation Methods. Review Article. FP 2016;16(1);82-87

Abstract
Basis of the Parkinson’s disease are the chronic neurodegenerative changes, manifesting themselves in the asymmetric bradykinesia, the muscular rigidity and the resting tremor (the so-called triad of symptoms). Along with the advancement of the disease, there occur symptoms within the autonomic nervous system, speech and swallowing disorders, dementia, cognitive function disorders. The neurodegenerative process caused by the dopamine deficiency in the brain, leads to the gradual loss of movements coordination, which is worsening along with the development of the disease. Slowness of movements, characteristic for the patients with Parkinson’s disease, is in turn the leading cause of the locomotion disability. This symptom, together with the coexisting postural instability, are qualified as the main causes of the balance disorders accompanying the disease in question.  The implementation of the proper procedures for diagnosis of the balance disorders, in this group of patients, actually helps to reduce the number of falls.Currently the most popular tool for evaluating the posture stability disorders are the clinical tests of balance. Very popular for the evaluation of the balance disorders are the simple motor ability tests, allowing to assess a given motor skill in the quantitative and the half-quantitative manner. The actual usefulness of the balance assessment on the stabilometric platforms has been proved in the numerous clinical studies. The efficacy of the described method has been demonstrated in the research of the probability of falls due to Parkinson’s disease. Meaningful are also the reports of the superiority of the posturography over the other methods for the balance assessment. Unfortunately, the application of the posturography tests in balance analyses, in patients with Parkinson’s disease, is still being limited to the selected centers. This is mainly due to the relatively high cost of the purchase of the posturography platform.

Key words:
Parkinson’s disease, posturography tests, balance assessment

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