Circulating Level Of Matrix Metalloproteinases MMP-1 and MMP-3 In Rheumatic Disorders

Abstract EN

Material: The study included 30 hemiplegic patients, 24 males and 6 females.

All of them suffered from cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) with various degree of spasticity.

Method: We assessed the spasticity in those patients and determined the capability of voluntary motor performance in the wrist-hand unit.

We also tried to find the relation between spasticity and impairment of hand function.

The outcome measures in this study were: Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and Tone Assessment Scale (TAS) to measure the degree of spasticity.

We used four tests to determine voluntary motor performance of the hand including grip strength, active range of motion, box and blocks and Fugl-Meyer test Results: We found a significant positive correlation between MAS and TAS.

MAS showed more strong and significant reverse correlation with voluntary motor performance tests.

Conclusion: The degree of wrist spasticity is associated with impaired hand function in hemiplegic patients.

The Modified Ashworth Scale is better than Tone Assessment Scale in representing the degree of functional impairment of the hand.