Objective To determine the prevalence of fatigue and factors associated with fatigue in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods Fatigue was evaluated using the PD Fatigue Scale, a self-report questionnaire consisting of 16 statements describing the severity of fatigue symptoms. Patients were also evaluated using the Unified PD Rating Scale, Zung Depression Scale, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the PD Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) for assessing quality of life (QOL), and the Apathy Scale. Patients We examined 46 consecutive outpatients clinically diagnosed with PD, excluding patients with cognitive impairment.Results Fatigue was present in 22 (48%) patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that only QOL-scores and Apathy Scale scores were significant independent variables related to the presence of fatigue. Conclusion Fatigue is a common symptom in patients with PD, and it is a symptom closely related to impaired QOL.

Objective Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) severity increases with age. Ultrasonographic measurement of the median nerve cross-sectional area (CSA) is an additional or complementary method for CTS diagnosis. The present study was aimed to investigate the diagnostic significance of median nerve CSA in various age groups of CTS patients. Methods The subjects were patients with electrophysiologically confirmed CTS and age-matched controls. Sonographic measurements of the median nerve CSA were performed. Results A total of 279 hands of 175 patients with CTS and 50 normal hands were examined. CSA was correlated with distal motor and sensory latencies of the median nerve and severity of CTS. CTS severity increased with age, particularly in patients over 80; however, their median nerve CSA was not enlarged regardless of their high severity of CTS. Conclusion Although the median nerve CSA is a useful diagnostic measurement for CTS, it should be emphasized that its diagnostic significance might be limited in aged patients. In particular, in very elderly patients, careful evaluation of CTS severity is necessary.

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