Measurement and correlation of fatigue and sleep quality in Parkinson’s disease: a cross sectional study

Abstract

Background: Fatigue corresponds to a non-motor symptom of high prevalence in Parkinson’s disease (PD) affecting about one thirdof patients with the disease. This symptom negatively affects daily activities, contributing to the deterioration of the quality of life ofthese subjects. Objectives: To estimate fatigue in PD and to correlate with demographic characteristics, sleep, disease stage, motorfunction and daily activities. Methods: The sample consisted of patients with PD. The following measuring instruments were used for thestudy:Hoehn and Yahr scale, Fatigue Rating Scale, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale. Results: Thisstudy highlights the high prevalence of fatigue in subjects with PD, and the screening and treatment of this symptom is extremelyrelevant in clinical practice. There were no significant correlations between fatigue and other variables analyzed. Conclusions: Mostparticipants reported fatigue as a relevant problem, so it is important the use of instruments for fatigue screening in clinical practiceand the need to develop therapies related to this symptom in the PD.