Characterization of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Parkinson's disease is the second most frequent neurodegenerative after Alzheimer's disease, appears usually in the sixth decade of life characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms, and the latter are common, disabling and sometimes unexplored.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive and observational study of 44 patients with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease who attended the consultation of disorders of the movement of the Polyclinic of specialties of Santiago de Cuba from August 2013 until July 2015 with the aim of characterizing the non-motor symptoms in terms of demographic variables (age, sex, skin color), motor state, initial symptom, time of evolution of the disease, and was applied in addition the questionnaire of non-motor symptoms (PDNMSQ).

RESULTS: The majority of patients had between 50 and 74 years old, male, white skin, debut with unilateral resting tremor. The most common symptoms were depression, nocturia, anxiety, restless leg syndrome, constipation, insomnia/behavior disorders during REM sleep, hipomnesia of fixing, vivid dreams, and dysphagia. The symptoms by patient averaged 7.45 and these were less frequent at the beginning of the disease.