Background

Balance confidence is an essential component of fall risk assessment in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS).

Aims

The aims of this cross-sectional study were to 1) investigate the ability of the 16-item Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC-16), 6-item Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC-6), and each item of the ABC-16 for distinguishing fallers and 2) determine cutoff scores for these scales to discriminate fallers and non-fallers in pwMS.

Methods

One hundred and fifty-six participants [fallers/non-fallers: 60 (38.5%)/96 (61.5%), median EDSS: 1.5] were enrolled. Balance confidence was assessed using the ABC-16 and ABC-6. The self-reported number of falls in the past three months was recorded. Descriptive assessments, including walking, balance, and cognition were performed. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted to estimate the sensitivities and specificities of the ABC-16 and ABC-6.

Results

Both the ABC-16 (AUC: 0.85) and ABC-6 (AUC: 0.84) had the discriminative ability for falls. Each item of the ABC-16 scale was a significantly related to falls [odds ratio (OR) range: 1.38 to 1.89]. Items 8 and 10 had the highest odds ratio (OR: 1.85; 95%CI: 1.47–2.33, OR: 1.89; 95%CI: 1.49–2.40; respectively). We found cutoff scores of ≤ 70 of 100 (sensitivity: 71.67, specificity: 86.46) and ≤ 65/100 (sensitivity: 76.67, specificity: 79.17) in discrimination between fallers and non-fallers for the ABC-16 and ABC-6, respectively.

Conclusion

Both original and short forms of the ABC scale are an efficient tool for discriminating fallers and non-fallers in pwMS. Although all items are related to falls, outdoor walking activities have the strongest associations with falls than other items.

中文翻译：

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多发性硬化症患者跌倒的活动特定平衡置信量表及其单个项目的原始和简短形式的辨别能力

背景

平衡信心是多发性硬化症 (pwMS) 患者跌倒风险评估的重要组成部分。

目标

本横断面研究的目的是 1) 调查 16 项活动特定平衡置信度量表 (ABC-16)、6 项活动特定平衡置信度量表 (ABC-6) 以及每个项目的能力ABC-16 用于区分跌倒者，2) 确定这些量表的截止分数，以区分 pwMS 中的跌倒者和非跌倒者。

方法

共有 156 名参与者[跌倒者/非跌倒者：60 (38.5%)/96 (61.5%)，中位 EDSS：1.5] 入组。使用 ABC-16 和 ABC-6 评估平衡置信度。记录过去三个月内自我报告的跌倒次数。进行了描述性评估，包括步行、平衡和认知。进行逻辑回归和受试者操作特征分析以估计 ABC-16 和 ABC-6 的敏感性和特异性。

结果

ABC-16（AUC：0.85）和ABC-6（AUC：0.84）均具有跌倒判别能力。ABC-16 量表的每个项目都与跌倒显着相关[比值比 (OR) 范围：1.38 至 1.89]。第 8 项和第 10 项的比值比最高（OR：1.85；95%CI：1.47–2.33；OR：1.89；95%CI：1.49–2.40；分别）。我们发现 ABC-16 和 ABC-6 在区分跌倒者和非跌倒者方面的截止分数为 ≤ 70 of 100（敏感性：71.67，特异性：86.46）和 ≤ 65/100（敏感性：76.67，特异性：79.17），分别。

结论

ABC 量表的原始形式和简短形式都是区分 pwMS 中跌倒者和非跌倒者的有效工具。尽管所有项目都与跌倒有关，但户外步行活动与跌倒的关联性比其他项目最强。