Published in:
01-12-2019 | Mood Disorders | Original Communication
Considerations before initiating therapy in Parkinsonism: basing on the quality of life
Published in: Journal of Neurology | Issue 12/2019
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Objective
Improvement of quality-of-life (QoL) has been termed as a primary objective in initiating therapy in both Parkinson’s disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy Parkinsonian subtype (MSA-P). We aimed to compare the determinants of life quality in drug naïve PD and MSA-P patients.
Methods
Eighty-six drug-naïve PD patients and thirty-five drug-naïve MSA-P patients were included to explore the determinants of QoL. Demographic information, motor deficits, and non-motor symptoms were included in the clinical assessment.
Results
Both motor and non-motor functions were more severely impaired in the drug-naïve MSA-P patients, with higher PDQ-39 scores indicating poorer QoL. Physical discomfort and stigma were the main affected sub-domains in PD, while mobility and activity of daily life were the main affected ones in MSA-P. BECK depressive scores and UPDRS-III scores were independent variables of PDQ-39 in MSA-P patients. Age, depression, disease stages and non-motor scores were independent variables of PDQ-39 in PD patients.
Interpretation
Drug-naïve MSA-P patients suffered from more severe motor and non-motor disability, as well as poorer QoL. Depression and non-motor symptoms were proved to be the most critical determinants for QoL in PD, while motor function was supposed to be the major determinant for MSA-P. When initiating therapy, physicians need to focus more on motor functions in drug-naïve MSA-P patients, but on depression in PD patients.