Korean version of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised: A Pilot Study on the Reliability and Validity

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) is a quantitative measure of ALS-related physical deficit with established reliability and validity in prospective clinical research. This study aimed to test the reliability and validity of the Korean version of ALSFRS-R (K-ALSFRS-R). METHODS: The subjects of the study were 51 patients with ALS diagnosed on the basis of El Escorial criteria. The patients were evaluated by one rater using K-ALSFRS-R, Norris scale, and Appel ALS rating scale on the same day. Subsequently, K-ALSFRS-R was measured by two other raters using a videotape design. Test-retest data were obtained within the time interval of 7 days. RESULTS: Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were high. Inter-rater comparisons showed significant reliability with Kappa or Kendall's tau-b value. Moreover, K-ALSFRS-R scores correlated significantly with clinical status as measured by Norris and Appel ALS rating scale. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that K-ALSFRS-R would be a reliable and useful instrument for the evaluation of functional status in patients with ALS.