disease_steps_ms: Disease Steps for Multiple Sclerosis

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

Disease Steps for Multiple Sclerosis

Description

Retrieves the clinical description for a given Disease Steps (DS) score. The Disease Steps scale is a simple, ordinal rating system (0-6) used to classify functional disability in Multiple Sclerosis patients, primarily based on ambulation and gait. It serves as a complementary tool to the more complex Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS).

Usage

disease_steps_ms(classification)

Arguments

classification

Numeric (0-6). The patient's Disease Step score. 0: Normal. 1: Mild Disability (No visible gait abnormality). 2: Moderate Disability (Visible gait abnormality, walks 25ft <= 20s). 3: Early Cane (Intermittent support, walks 25ft <= 20s). 4: Late Cane (Dependent on unilateral support). 5: Bilateral Support (Dependent on bilateral support). 6: Confined to Wheelchair.

Value

A list containing:

Disease_Step	The input score.
Clinical_Description	The official definition of the functional status associated with the score.

References

Hohol MJ, Orav EJ, Weiner HL. Disease steps in multiple sclerosis: a simple approach to evaluate disease progression. Neurology. 1995;45(2):251-255. doi:10.1212/wnl.45.2.251

Examples

# Example 1: Moderate Disability
# Patient has a visible limp but walks 25 feet quickly
disease_steps_ms(2)

# Example 2: Late Cane
# Patient requires a cane at all times to walk 25 feet
disease_steps_ms(4)

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.