Fatigability and Cardiorespiratory Impairments in Parkinson's Disease: Potential Non-Motor Barriers to Activity Performance.

Andrew E Pechstein,Andrew A Guccione,Jared M Gollie

doi:10.3390/jfmk5040078

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative condition after Alzheimer’s disease, affecting an estimated 160 per 100,000 people 65 years of age or older. Fatigue is a debilitating non-motor symptom frequently reported in PD, often manifesting prior to disease diagnosis, persisting over time, and negatively affecting quality of life. Fatigability, on the other hand, is distinct from fatigue and describes the magnitude or rate of change over time in the performance of activity (i.e., performance fatigability) and sensations regulating the integrity of the performer (i.e., perceived fatigability). While fatigability has been relatively understudied in PD as compared to fatigue, it has been hypothesized that the presence of elevated levels of fatigability in PD results from the interactions of homeostatic, psychological, and central factors. Evidence from exercise studies supports the premise that greater disturbances in metabolic homeostasis may underly elevated levels of fatigability in people with PD when engaging in physical activity. Cardiorespiratory impairments constraining oxygen delivery and utilization may contribute to the metabolic alterations and excessive fatigability experienced in individuals with PD. Cardiorespiratory fitness is often reduced in people with PD, likely due to the combined effects of biological aging and impairments specific to the disease. Decreases in oxygen delivery (e.g., reduced cardiac output and impaired blood pressure responses) and oxygen utilization (e.g., reduced skeletal muscle oxidative capacity) compromise skeletal muscle respiration, forcing increased reliance on anaerobic metabolism. Thus, the assessment of fatigability in people with PD may provide valuable information regarding the functional status of people with PD not obtained with measures of fatigue. Moreover, interventions that target cardiorespiratory fitness may improve fatigability, movement performance, and health outcomes in this patient population.

Highlights

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative condition after Alzheimer’s disease, affecting an estimated 160 per 100,000 people 65 years of age or older [1]
With advancing age considered to be the greatest risk factor for developing PD, the projected expansion of the older adult population portends a sharp increase in the burden of PD in coming years [2]
Non-motor symptoms may present themselves earlier in the disease process compared to motor symptoms, which become more prominent during later stages of disease progression, and may provide a more valuable prognostic indicator for the identification of individuals at risk for PD

Summary

Introduction

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative condition after Alzheimer’s disease, affecting an estimated 160 per 100,000 people 65 years of age or older [1]. With advancing age considered to be the greatest risk factor for developing PD, the projected expansion of the older adult population portends a sharp increase in the burden of PD in coming years [2]. PD is characterized by both motor and non-motor symptoms with the cause(s) including the interplay of genetic and environmental factors [3,4]. Other key dopaminergic areas of the brain may contribute, in part, to some of the non-motor symptoms identified [4]. Non-motor symptoms may present themselves earlier in the disease process compared to motor symptoms, which become more prominent during later stages of disease progression, and may provide a more valuable prognostic indicator for the identification of individuals at risk for PD

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