Frequency of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease presenting to tertiary care centre in Pakistan: an observational, cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine the frequency of non-motor symptoms (NMS) in patients of Parkinson’s disease (PD) presenting to a movement disorder clinic at a tertiary care centre in Pakistan, and how frequency of NMS is different in male and female patients.Study designObservational, cross-sectional study.SettingTertiary care centre.ParticipantsOut of 102 patients, 85 were included. Inclusion criteria were patients with PD diagnosed according to the UK Parkinson’s Disease Society Brain Bank Clinical Diagnostic Criteria, age ≥18 years, able to give consent and have no difficulty in answering questions. Exclusion criteria were diseases that resemble PD, stroke, dementia, patients unable to provide information and history of antipsychotic use.ResultsThe NMSQuest revealed a mean of nearly seven different NMS per patient. Autonomic problems such as constipation (56%) and nocturia (49%) were the most common NMS, while urinary urgency was reported by 35% of patients. Low mood and feeling sad were reported by 47%, whereas feeling anxious/panicky was reported by 36%. Problem with memory was reported by 45% of patients. Feeling of light-headedness and dizziness was reported by 40% of patients. Problems with sexual relationship were reported by 30% of patients. The most common sleep problem was difficulty falling sleep (29%). Pain not related to the musculoskeletal system was reported by 30% of patients. Loss or change in the ability to taste or smell was reported by 29% of patients. The rest of NMS were less than 25% in frequency. Feeling sad or blue, feeling light-headed/dizzy, unexplained pain, unpleasant sensations in the legs, difficulty in swallowing and faecal incontinence were more common in female participants, while problems with sex were more common in male participants.ConclusionNMS are quite prevalent in PD in our population. Certain NMS are more common in women as compared with men. There is a need for a large-scale study to look for the association of different NMS with sex.

Frequency of Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

“…As with other literature, there were more men with PD in this study too [10-11]. In a Japanese study, female gender was more commonly associated with PD [12].…”

“…The mean age of participants in this study was 63.57 ± 10.41 years. Comparable mean ages have been reported in local (57-64.5 years) as well as international (71; range: 67-75 years) studies [11,13-14].…”

Ethnic Variation in the Manifestation of Parkinson’s Disease: A Narrative Review

“…However, there remains relatively few studies that compare non-motor symptom prevalence in ethnically diverse samples. The Non-Motor Symptom Questionnaire was designed and validated in 2006 and has been used in different populations to enable comparison (see Table 2) [72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84]. All patients, regardless of ethnicity, appear to suffer from a high burden of non-motor symptoms.…”

An overview of pain in Parkinson's disease

“…The characteristics of pain in PD are heterogeneous, both in quality and in its distribution over the body [ 1 ]. Depending on the type of pain, the study design, and possibly the race [ 2 ], pain prevalence ranges from 24% to over 85% [ [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] ]. About half of patients with PD have reported moderate to severe pain during the disease course [ 5 , 7 ].…”