Non-Motor Symptoms Burden in Early Stages of Parkinson's Disease.

Abstract

Non-motor symptoms (NMSs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) are often overlooked and thus can impede clinical management and significantly reduce the patient's quality of life. The study aimed to determine the burden of NMS in the early stages of PD. A 1-year observational cross-sectional study was conducted at Mayo Hospital, Lahore, in 2019. The MDS-PD criteria were used to diagnose PD patients. The study included patients with Hoehn and Yahr (HY) stages 1-3. The frequency of NMSs was assessed using a non-motor symptom questionnaire (NMSQ), and the non-motor symptom scale (NMSS) score was derived using the NMSS. A total of 100 PD patients were enrolled in the study. Sixty-three (63%) were males and 37 (37%) were females. Their age ranged between 45 and 75 years with a mean ± SD of 57.46 ± 8.46. At least one NMS was reported by 84% of patients, with neuropsychiatric symptoms (68%) preponderant, followed by a change in taste and smell (64%). The mean NMSS score is 46.22 ± 22.098 (median 44) with a range from 0 to 88, with the trend being increasing score with the advancing stage. The use of the NMSQ and NMSS tools should be standard in clinical practice to identify the severity of the disease and commence appropriate care.