<p>Impact of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease: a PMDAlliance survey</p>

Abstract

Purpose Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with non-motor symptoms (NMS) that can cause progressive disability and impact quality of life of people with PD (PwP) and increase burden on care partners. This survey was designed to evaluate the prevalence, impact, and educational preferences regarding NMS on PwP and their care partners. Patients and methods A 17-question survey was sent to the total membership of PMDAlliance, a nonprofit organization reaching 3,685 households of PwP. Care partners and other interested individuals could also respond. The survey was conducted using Survey Monkey, an online survey platform, and included distinct questions for respondents with and without NMS. Results A total of 700 individuals responded to the survey. Of the respondents, 378 (54%) were care partners and 287 (41%) were PwP. About 90% of the respondents reported having experience with NMS in PwP, including sleep problems (84%), cognitive symptoms (76%), anxiety (65%), depression (56%), hallucinations (40%), and delusions (23%). NMS in PwP were reported by more care partners (97%) than PwP (80%). NMS had at least some impact on quality of life for 84% of the respondents; 48% indicated that NMS represented a greater challenge than motor symptoms. Care partners were more likely than PwP to report that NMS were more challenging than motor symptoms (58% vs 32%). Respondents with and without NMS indicated a desire for NMS education. Conclusion This survey underscores the significant impact of NMS on the quality of life of PwP and highlights the need for improved recognition and education about its effects.

<p>Profile Of Patients With Advanced Parkinson’s disease Suitable For Device-Aided Therapies: Restrospective Data Of A Large Cohort Of Romanian Patients</p>

“…Insufficient cooperation leads to a further deterioration of the clinical condition of patients and consequently to the quality of life of both patients and their relatives. [41][42][43] The fact that a significant proportion of patients are in need of institutional care further increases health-care costs. 2 Timely device-aided therapeutical approaches can be a major breakthrough in the quality of life of many APD patients and may prolong the period during which the patient can be cared for within the confines of a family home.…”

Systematic Review Looking at the Use of Technology to Measure Free-Living Symptom and Activity Outcomes in Parkinson’s Disease in the Home or a Home-like Environment

“…This is important, since symptoms such as depression, cognitive dysfunction and autonomic function are known to impact on health-related quality of life and wellbeing [22,71]. In one survey, almost half the respondents felt that non-motor symptoms had a greater impact on quality of life than motor symptoms [110]. The methodology of how to measure non-motor symptoms such as fatigue or pain using technology may appear challenging, however there is potentially interesting work linking wearable accelerometer data used to measure bradykinesia with constipation outcomes [111].…”

The Importance of Drosophila melanogaster Research to UnCover Cellular Pathways Underlying Parkinson’s Disease

“…In addition to motor symptoms, a wide range of non-motor symptoms occur, including dementia, depression, constipation and sleep problems [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. These non-motor symptoms may occur years prior to the initial diagnosis [ 7 ] and strongly impact the quality of life [ 9 ].…”