Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Quality of Life of Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Introduction. This study investigated the influence of lockdown during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods. We conducted a questionnaire survey involving 113 patients with PD from Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang. During the epidemic prevention and control period (February 1 to March 31, 2020), patients enrolled were asked to fill out questionnaires, including the “COVID-19 Questionnaire for PD Patients during the Period of Epidemic Prevention and Control” and “39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39).” During the phase of gradual release of epidemic prevention and control (April 1 to April 30, 2020), all patients were followed up again, and PDQ-39 questionnaires were completed. Results. The quality of life for patients during the period of epidemic prevention and control was worse than that after epidemic prevention and control (P < 0.001). The biggest problem that they faced was that they could not receive their doctor’s advice or guidance regularly. The quality of life of patients who had difficulty getting doctors’ guidance or those who changed their routine medication due to lockdown was even worse. Telemedicine was quite effective and efficient for patients to get doctors’ guidance during lockdown. Conclusions. The inconvenient treatment during the pandemic directly caused the aggravation of patients’ symptoms and the decline in their quality of life. It is suggested that social media (such as WeChat or Tencent QQ) are used for regular interactions and follow-up appointments for patients with inconvenient medical treatment.

SARS-CoV-2 mediated neuroinflammation and the impact of COVID-19 in neurological disorders

“…COVID-19 has further impact on the lives of PD patients as their everyday life is affected by the pandemic. PD patients without COVID-19 have demonstrated a decrease in quality of life and physical activity, and an increase psychiatric symptoms (i.e., depression, insomnia, irritability) as an indirect consequence of the pandemic [ [125] , [126] , [127] , [128] ].…”

Parkinson's disease may worsen outcomes from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia in hospitalized patients: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression

“…Some hospitals even closed the Parkinson’s clinics because of this pandemic. [ 40 ] The disruption in the medical care can caused irregular visit to the hospitals and more difficulties in obtaining PD medications because PD medications needs prescription, which may force the Parkinson’s Disease patients to decrease or even stop their medications. [ 40 ] This can also lead to worsening of Parkinson’s Disease symptoms which increase their mortality rate, as described previously.…”

“…Meanwhile, COVID-19 pandemic has caused interruption in the PD-related care, including medical care, exercise, and social activities. Some hospitals even closed the Parkinson's clinics because of this pandemic [40]. The disruption in the medical care can caused irregular visit to the hospitals and more difficulties in obtaining PD medications because PD medications needs prescription, which may force the Parkinson's Disease patients to decrease or even stop their medications [40].…”

The Influence of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) On Parkinson’s Disease: An Updated Systematic Review

“…The increase in the hospital admission and mortality rates in the PD and other chronic neurological diseases during Covied 19 pandemic needs to be addressed to understand the exact effects. Most neurological diseases including Parkinson's are highly dependent on prescribed medications to control their symptoms, with social isolation and some of the clinical practices forced to shut down, which led to irregular visits might be one of the reasons for worsening of the symptoms [42]. In this Systematic Review, We included studies with COVID-19 positive patients with a history of Parkinson's disease.…”