Upper extremity functional assessment scales in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a comparison

Twenty-three subjects were assessed using the already established Brooke Upper Extremity Functional Rating Scale and the timed Jebsen Hand Function Test to determine whether the Jebsen test was a more discriminative measure of upper extremity function in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The data were analyzed using univariate and forced-entry multiple regression analyses to determine the relationship between the Jebsen and Brooke scales while removing the effects of the other independent variables: age, hand dominance, and visit number. The univariate regression results suggested a positive relationship between the Brooke and Jebsen scales. Discrete sublevels of time on the Jebsen Hand Function Test were not found within the Brooke functional levels. However, the Jebsen test was found to be a more sensitive assessment of hand function than the Brooke scale among the DMD population. Parametric data were gathered, nondominant and dominant hand functions were differentiated, and a constant set of muscle groups was used to complete the tasks of the Jebsen Hand Function Test. The Jebsen Hand Function Test might be used instead of the Brooke scale as a more discriminative method of following DMD patient progress over time, both clinically and during drug treatment trials.