Clinical heterogeneity and cluster analysis of multiple system atrophy

Objective To examine the clinical subtypes of patients with multisystem atrophy(MSA)that may indicate the prognosis of patients.Additionally,we aim to compare the ability to perform daily activities among patients of each subtype using cluster analysis.Methods The retrospective analysis included demographic data,clinical symptoms and signs,scale scores,and ancillary examinations of 94 patients diagnosed with multisystem atrophyatXuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University.The study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristicssofeachhsubtype obtained through clustering.Additionally,acomparison was'made between patients with traditional motor subtypes and those with new subtypes in terms of activities of daily living.The study consisted of 94 MSA patients,with an average age of 61 years and a female representation of 51.1%.Using the data collected on the continuum,a full linkage hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to classify MSA patients into four clinical subtypes:gait disorder(17 cases,18.1%),malignant tonic hyperkinetic with premature haircut(25 cases,26.6%),intermediate(43 cases,45.7%)。