-Quality of life (QoL) is an important treatment outcome indicator in Parkinson's disease (PD). the aim of this study is to assess the usefulness of the Parkinson's disease questionnaire -PDQ-39 (Brazilian Portuguese Version) in measuring QoL of PD patients with or without motor fluctuations. Fifty-six PD patients with mean disease duration of 7.4 years were assessed and 41 of them (73.3%) had motor fluctuations. the PDQ-39 has eight dimensions ranging from 0 to 100; being the higher the score, the worse the QoL. comparing groups with and without motor fluctuations showed that the dimensions mobility, activities of daily living (ADL), communication and bodily discomfort scored higher in the fluctuating group. there was a tendency to see that the higher the Hoehn and Yahr (HY) scale stages, the higher the PDQ-39 scores. Patients suffering from the disease for more than five years had worse PDQ-39 scores only in the items ADL and communication, when compared with those with the disease for ≤ 5 years. the PDQ-39 is an instrument that detects decrease in QoL of PD patients and the presence of motor fluctuations predicts QoL reduction.KeY worDs: Parkinson's disease, quality of life, psychomotor performance, levodopa Escala para qualidade de vida na doença de Parkinson -PDQ 39 (versão do Português falado no Brasil) como instrumento para avaliação de pacientes com e sem flutuação motora decorrente da levodopa resumo -A qualidade de vida (QdV) é um item importante para se mensurar o sucesso do tratamento na doença de Parkinson (DP). o objetivo deste estudo foi o de avaliar a utilidade do questionário sobre a doença de Parkinson -PDQ-39 (versão em língua portuguesa falada no Brasil) para mensurar a QdV dos pacientes parkinsonianos com e sem flutuação motora. Nós avaliamos 56 pacientes com DP com tempo médio da doença de 7,4 anos, e destes 41 (73,3%) apresentavam flutuação motora. A PDQ-39 tem oito domínios que variam de 0 a 100 e quanto maior o escore pior a QdV. A comparação dos grupos de pacientes com e sem flutuação motora mostrou que os domínios: mobilidade, atividades de vida diária, comunicação e desconforto corporal tinham escores maiores nos flutuadores. Quanto maiores os estágios de Hoehn e Yahr (HY) da doença, maiores os escores da PDQ-39. Pacientes com mais de 5 anos de evolução da doença mostraram escores piores da PDQ39 apenas nos itens atividades da vida diária e comunicação se comparados a pacientes com 5 anos ou menos de doença. A PDQ-39 é um instrumento capaz de detectar declínio da QdV de pacientes com DP e a presença de flutuação motora é um preditor para redução na QdV. Parkinson's disease (PD) ranks second in prevalence of degenerative disease of the nervous system, after Alzheimer's disease, and it is estimated that 0.3% of population is affected 1 . A recent Brazilian study carried out in the town of Bambuí, state of minas Gerais, Brazil, showed that PD affects 3.3% of individuals aged over 65 years 2 . especially in its initial stages, PD symptoms are mainly motor, later on cognitive dysf...

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The TOR1A and THAP1 genes were screened for mutations in a cohort of 21 Brazilian patients with Primary torsion dystonia (PTD). We identified a de novo delGAG mutation in the TOR1A gene in a patient with a typical DYT1 phenotype and a novel c.1A > G (p.Met1?) mutation in THAP1 in a patient with early onset generalized dystonia with speech involvement. Mutations in these two known PTD genes, TOR1A and THAP1, are responsible for about 10% of the PTD cases in our Brazilian cohort suggesting genetic heterogeneity and supporting the role of other genes in PTD.

BackgroundAlthough Parkinson’s disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide, its cost in Brazil – South America’s largest country – is unknown.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to calculate the average annual cost of Parkinson’s disease in the city of São Paulo (Brazil), with a focus on disease-related motor symptoms.Subjects and methodsThis was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis using a bottom-up approach (ie, from the society’s perspective). Patients (N=260) at two tertiary public health centers, who were residents of the São Paulo metropolitan area, completed standardized questionnaires regarding their disease-related expenses. We used simple and multiple generalized linear models to assess the correlations between total cost and patient-related, as well as disease-related variables.ResultsThe total average annual cost of Parkinson’s disease was estimated at US$5,853.50 per person, including US$3,172.00 in direct costs (medical and nonmedical) and US$2,681.50 in indirect costs. Costs were directly correlated with disease severity (including the degree of motor symptoms), patients’ age, and time since disease onset.ConclusionIn this study, we determined the cost of Parkinson’s disease in Brazil and observed that disease-related motor symptoms are a significant component of the costs incurred on the public health system, patients, and society in general.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide, affecting more than four million people. Typically, it affects individuals above 45, when they are still productive, compromising both aging and quality of life. Therefore, the cost of the disease must be identified, so that the use of resources can be rational and efficient. Additionally, in Brazil, there is a lack of research on the costs of neurodegenerative diseases, such as PD, a gap addressed in this study. This systematic review critically addresses the various methodologies used in original research around the world in the last decade on the subject, showing that costs are hardly comparable. Nonetheless, the economic and social impacts are implicit, and important information for public health agents is provided.

The purpose of this study was to verify which instrument better identifies recurrent falls in the elderly. Ninety-eight old people, with an average age of 80±4 years, were submitted to an assessment of balance and fall risk by means of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the posturographic Balance Stability System (BSS). The BBS was correlated with the BSS (r=-0.27; p=0.008), age (r=-0.38; p<0.001) and number of falls (r=-0.25; p=0.013) and the analysis of logistical regression showed that the elderly classified with fall risk on the BBS presented 2.5 (95%CI 1.08-5.78) more chance of identifying who had two falls or more over the last year. The BBS identified that the greater the age the worse the functional balance and demonstrated a greater capacity to identify falls risk suffered over the last year when compared with the BSS.

The frequency (42%) and severity of major depression were higher in Parkinson's disease patients. Longer duration of Parkinson's disease, higher scores on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part 3 and the Hoehn and Yahr Scale were significantly associated with major depression.

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