Objectives.-This study evaluated headaches among Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and whether there was any correlation between the motor symptoms and the severity of the headaches presented.Background.-Forty to 83% of PD patients are affected by pain. Despite this high prevalence of pain, only a few studies have addressed the headaches of these patients.Methods.-This was a cross-sectional study. Consecutive patients with Parkinson disease were included. Semi-structured interview; the Epworth sleepiness scale; the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Part III (motor examination); and the Hoehn and Yahr scale were used.Results.-About 46 patients were included, 52% were men, mean age was 66 ± 11 years. Forty-three patients had headaches, 12/46 (26%), migraines, 31/46 (67%) had tension-type headaches. We found no association between the headache frequency (median: 0.5; 0.5 to 7.5 vs 0.5; 0.5 to 8 days/3 months; P = .757) or intensity (median: 5; 4 to 8 vs 5.5, 4 to 9; P = .514) and the different stages of the PD (Hoehn and Yahr scale: ≤2.5 vs >2.5). There was no correlation between UPDRS score and the intensity (r = −0.099; P = .530) or frequency of headaches (r = −0.136; P = .373). No association was found between the grade of neck stiffness (0 vs 1 and 2 vs 3 and 4) and the headache frequency (Median: 0; 0 to 3 vs 3.5; 0 to 12.5 vs 0; 0 to 6 days/3 months; P = .074) or intensity (Median: 5; 3 to 9 vs 5; 4 to 6 vs 7; 4.5 to 9; P = .434). Twelve patients said that their headaches started after PD had been diagnosed. There was no difference regarding the frequency and characteristics of headaches and PD characteristics between these patients and the other patients with previous headaches.Conclusions.-In this sample of PD patients, there is no association between headache and PD.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.