SURVIVAL IN MULTIPLE SYSTEM ATROPHY - A STUDY OF PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN 59 CASES

The various clinical features of multiple system atrophy (MSA) make th e diagnosis of the disease difficult, especially in its early stages, when signs of differentiated neuroanatomical system involvement have n ot yet appeared. Mortality studies may be affected by the variability of the diagnostic criteria and selection bias. We used strict clinical and MRI criteria to diagnose MSA in 59 patients. Patients with parkin sonian and cerebellar onset were compared. Median survival time from t he onset of the first motor symptom was 7.5 years. Our results indicat ed a trend (P = 0.09) for the Northwestern University Disability Scale score to correlate with mortality, but we failed to find other charac teristics identifying subgroups or predictors for survival.