Prevalence and Risk Factors for Malnutrition in Patients With Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between nutritional status and Parkinson's disease (PD) features.Methods: The cohort was composed of 556 Parkinson's patients who were admitted to the hospital. Patients were categorized as normal nutrition or at risk of malnutrition/already malnourished. Questionnaires, physical examinations, and biochemical tests were conducted. The relationship between nutrition status and PD was analyzed using t-tests, χ2-tests, and logistic regression models.Results: The prevalence of malnutrition [defined as a Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score <17] was 39.2%, and 30.3% of patients were at risk of malnutrition (17 ≤ MNA score ≤ 23.5). There was no difference in gender and age between the different nutrition groups (P < 0.05). Patients at risk of malnutrition and those who were malnourished had a longer course of disease, more severe motor symptoms, a higher stage of PD according to the Hoehn and Yahr (H-Y) classification, a lower body mass index (BMI) index, a lower cognitive score, higher levels of depression and anxiety, and more serious non-motor symptoms (P < 0.05) than patients with normal nutrition. There were differences in adenosine deaminase, albumin, phosphorus, chlorine, total protein, and uric acid between the two groups (P < 0.05). High Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS-III) scores, high H-Y stages, and dyskinesia were risk factors for malnutrition in PD patients, while high levels of total protein, uric acid, and chlorine were protective factors that led to good nutrition (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Our results showed that dyskinesia, disease severity, total protein levels, uric acid levels, and chlorine levels were associated with nutritional status among Chinese PD patients. The findings of this study indicate the significance of the early detection and prevention of malnutrition to improve the quality of life of PD patients.

The Influence of Serum Uric Acid Level on Non-Motor Symptoms Occurrence and Severity in Patients with Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease and Atypical Parkinsonisms—A Systematic Review

“…Seven articles [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ] were included in the analysis out of which two [ 15 , 19 ] were prospective studies and five [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 20 , 21 ] were cross-sectional studies ( Table S1—Supplementary Material ). Huang et al [ 15 ] had a 5-year follow up and Moccia et al [ 19 ] had a 2-year follow-up.…”

“…The mean age of patients from all the publications was 65.32 years. The age range was presented in five studies and varied from 17 to 92 years [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 21 ]. The average disease span was shown in all studies but two [ 19 , 20 ] and equated to 5.93 years.…”

“…In six of the studies, the main inclusion criterion was a definitive PD diagnosis based on the United Kingdom Parkinson’s Disease Society Brain Bank Diagnostic Criteria (UKPDSBBDC) [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. In the study by Huang et al [ 15 ], the inclusion criterion fulfilled the benchmark for PD diagnosis according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).…”

“…Pan et al [ 17 ] and Chen et al [ 20 ] disqualified patients with disabilities caused by neurological disorders other than PD and with any somatic disorder that could influence NMS (e.g., pain syndromes, advanced diabetes mellitus, severe anemia). Three authors [ 15 , 17 , 21 ] excluded patients with acute and chronic conditions that could be life-threatening (e.g., symptomatic and clinically diagnosed stroke, cancer, failure of any internal organs). Pan et al [ 17 ] and van Wamelen et al [ 18 ] eliminated patients with moderate and severe cognitive disorders according to Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; score < 26 points) adjusted to patients’ age and education.…”

“…Yang et al [ 21 ] have also disqualified all participants with confirmed gastrointestinal tract conditions (e.g., infectious diseases, tumors, non-specific inflammatory bowel disorders) or eating disorders that could potentially influence patients’ nutritional conditions.…”