Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS)

The UMSARS tracks how multiple system atrophy (MSA), a rare, progressive neurological disease, is affecting a person over time. It combines what the patient reports about daily activities with a clinician's hands-on motor exam and a check of blood pressure changes, giving a fuller picture than any single measure could on its own.

The scale has four parts: a 12-item history of functional decline in daily activities, a 14-item motor examination, an autonomic exam (including standing and lying blood pressure), and a single global disability rating. Occupational and physical therapists use it with adults and older adults with MSA in home health, hospice, and acute care settings, most often to document disease progression over time; internal consistency and inter-rater reliability have both been shown to be strong to excellent.

• Wenning et al. (2004) original validation study
• International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

UMSARS is a copyrighted scale owned by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS). Written permission is required before use, though this is generally available at no charge for individual clinical use.