Abstract
The severity of Parkinson's disease (PD) and PD's motor subtypes influence the components of physical capacity. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of both PD severity and motor subtype in the performance of these components. Thirty-six PD patients were assigned into four groups: Tremor (TD) initial and TD mild, akinetic-rigid (AR) initial, and AR mild. Patients' strength, balance, coordination, mobility and aerobic capacity were evaluated and groups were compared using a two-way ANOVA (severity and subtype as factors). AR presents a poorer performance than TD in almost all tests. Also this performance was worsened with the advance of the disease in AR, contrary to TD. We conclude that AR and TD subgroups are different about their performance on physical capacity components, moreover, this performance worsens with the advance of the disease of the AR group, but not for TD.
Highlights
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease among elderly (Olanow, Stern, & Sethi, 2009)
Since most PD patients are elderly, their independence in daily life can be influenced by others physiological aging processes, such as the decline of physical capacity components: strength, coordination, balance and aerobic capacity (Rantanen et al, 1999)
Gobbi exercise programs for this specific population. These authors showed that these components deteriorate as the disease advances. They failed to investigate whether the PD motor subtype could affect the physical capacity components of these patients
Summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease among elderly (Olanow, Stern, & Sethi, 2009). PD is mainly characterized by the death of neurons in the substancia nigra pars compacta, leading to a series of motor impairments, such as bradikynesia, rigidity, resting tremor and postural instability (Gobbi, Barbieri, Vitório, Pereira, & Teixeira-Arroyo, 2011; Waters, 2008). Since most PD patients are elderly, their independence in daily life can be influenced by others physiological aging processes, such as the decline of physical capacity components: strength, coordination, balance and aerobic capacity (Rantanen et al, 1999). Gobbi exercise programs for this specific population These authors showed that these components deteriorate as the disease advances. They failed to investigate whether the PD motor subtype could affect the physical capacity components of these patients
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