| The Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale, | | | | certain therapy can be. |
| otherwise known as the EDSS, is a famous way of | | | | The EDSS is predominantly built for assessing the |
| quantifying how much is already disabled in a person | | | | person’s ambulation and not cognition, fatigue or |
| with multiple sclerosis. This tool replaced the Disability | | | | the functioning of the upper extremities. |
| Status Scales which did as much as grouping people | | | | Its FS Scale |
| with multiple sclerosis. | | | | The FS scale or the functional systems scale is |
| The Kurtzke EDSS enumerates the disabilities | | | | important to the EDSS since it assesses and |
| associated with MS or multiple sclerosis according to | | | | evaluates the seven parts of the central nervous |
| the established eight functional systems. This then | | | | system which have the ability to control the normal |
| allows many neurologists to allocate a specific | | | | functioning of the body. For instance, those who can |
| functional system score in each. The functional | | | | function normally are graded 0 while those who are |
| systems are as follows: pyramidal, cerebellar, | | | | unable to finish the assignment are given the grade |
| brainstem, sensory, bowel and bladder, visual, | | | | of 6. |
| cerebral, and others. | | | | The FS scale of the EDSS is important for those |
| The Kurtzke EDSS gives two distinctive classifications | | | | people with multiple sclerosis but can still ambulate |
| to two different types of damage due to multiple | | | | since it evaluates where a certain person may have |
| sclerosis, depending on the severity of the | | | | some disability or difficulty. |
| disease’s symptoms. For instance, grades 1.0 up | | | | According to many research findings, the Kurtzke |
| to 4.5 mean people who have multiple sclerosis but | | | | EDSS and a certain scale for the ADL's or activities |
| are fully ambulatory. On the other hand, those who | | | | of daily living have a symbiotic relationship towards |
| are graded 5.0 up to 9.5 are those who are impaired | | | | one another. Together, these two scales are able to |
| in their ambulation. | | | | assess the amount of disability that occurs in multiple |
| Its discovery | | | | domains of functioning, all depending on the |
| Dr. Kurtzke established this useful scale back in | | | | person’s subjective report of any of the |
| August of 1955. The scale he discovered was initially | | | | symptoms of multiple sclerosis. |
| called the DSS, which evaluated the impairment | | | | Although the EDSS is the standard way of finally |
| associated with MS based on a ten-point scale. And | | | | assessing the amount of disability and impairment, it is |
| then it was in 1983 that Dr. Kurtzke discovered the | | | | still greatly criticized for the putting far too much |
| EDSS. This latest tool became more famous and | | | | focus on the use of the lower extremities or the legs |
| much more useful because it could evaluate | | | | and not much attention to the general clinical change. |
| MS-related impairment in all of the main neurological | | | | What are used? |
| areas. | | | | In evaluating the disease status, MRI scans are used |
| Even though the EDSS is not so sensitive when it | | | | by the physicians. However, such diagnostic test is |
| comes to assessing temporary changes in the | | | | not so correlational with the outcome of the disease, |
| person’s level of consciousness, this tool is | | | | since in multiple sclerosis, majority of the lesions are |
| immensely utilized for not just national but also | | | | not seen via the MRI scan. Some even do not have |
| international tests in evaluating just how effective a | | | | symptoms that can be clinically detected. |