Amit Govind Kamat, Amruta C
BACKGROUND Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. It is a result of degeneration of the substantia nigra, pars compacta with dysfunction of dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway. The three cardinal signs of Parkinson disease are resting tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia. Apart from these, non-motor symptoms (NMS)s substantially contribute to patient’s quality of life and are a frequent cause of hospitalization which are poorly recognized and inadequately treated. The objectives of the study are- 1) To find out the prevalence of non-motor symptoms in participants and 2) To classify and analyse the non-motor symptoms in them on the basis of system involvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a hospital based observational study conducted on 50 patients of Parkinsonism over a period of 1 year. Parkinson’s disease was confirmed by UKPDS Brain Bank Criteria. Neurological examination was conducted for MMSE scores and H and Y staging. Findings were recorded in predesigned and pretested questionnaire. RESULTS Out of 50 participants, 32% (16) belong to the age group of 61-70 years, and 56% were males. 60% were newly diagnosed during the study period. 50% had duration of illness of <1 year followed by 1-3 years (32%). Decreased libido was most common symptom (70%). Unsatisfactory voiding of the bowel was the most common in gastro intestinal symptom accounting for 70%. Dementia, anhedonia, and attention deficits were (62%) common neuropsychiatric symptoms. Insomnia was most prevalent symptom (82%). CONCLUSION The non-motor symptoms were universally prevalent in all the patients with Parkinson’s disease. The number of non-motor symptoms increased as the stage of the Parkinson’s disease progressed. Early recognition and treatment of non-motor symptoms is required to improve the quality of life.
