Enhancement of quality of life in progressive supranuclear palsy: a review of clinical practice elements

Aim: In the absence of a disease-modifying therapy, the aim of this review is to investigate how, and to what extent, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) affects patient quality of life (QoL) and thus establish a QoL-based approach to clinical practice. Method: A literature review was conducted using the search engines PubMed, Ovid and Google Scholar. Study and review abstracts from the literature search were analysed and marked for inclusion if they contained the following terms in reference to PSP: ‘prevalence’, ‘diagnosis’, ‘quality of life’ and ‘rehabilitation’. Only journals written in English and available to the University of Liverpool were included in this review. Results: PSP has a negative bearing on patient QoL, affecting almost all aspects of the patient’s daily living. However, a standard approach to clinical practice has not been established in the literature. Furthermore, studies fail to relate how current strategies of rehabilitation influence patient QoL. Conclusion: Early diagnosis is particularly associated with enhanced QoL, and although a limited amount of success can be associated with current strategies of rehabilitation, the feasibility of such interventions is limited to a very select group of patients.