Pregnancy in Parkinson's disease: Unique case report and review of the literature

Multiparity after an initial diagnosis of Parkinson's disease: a report on a rare case

“…Motor disability is predominantly unilateral, and the response to levodopa is apparent (3). The onset of the disease is more frequently marked by the presence of rest tremors, followed by rigidity and bradykinesia (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). In the current case, the patient presented tremors, bradykinesia, and rigidity from the onset of the disease, which is more commonly observed in cases of early-onset PD resulting from genetic effects that cause rapid progression of symptomatology (2).…”

“…The prevalence rate of PD is approximately 5:1,000 in the general population; however, the disease is uncommon before the age of 40 years (3). Therefore, PD is rare in women of fertile age, and its association with pregnancy is even rarer (6). The association of PD with multiparity has not been reported previously.…”

“…However, there is a need to provide adequate information to women with PD who become pregnant or who wish to become pregnant, particularly with respect to making them aware of the probable risks associated with PD and pregnancy and to enabling them to make an informed choice regarding how to proceed (2,6). Moreover, there is a paucity of knowledge among gynecologists and obstetricians with respect to the correct management of pregnancy in patients with PD and the potential problems that may occur during its course (1)(2)(3)(4)(5).…”

“…Because the onset of Parkinson's disease (PD) occurs after 40 years of age in 95% of patients, pregnancy in women with PD is a relatively rare occurrence (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). However, there is a need to provide adequate information to women with PD who become pregnant or who wish to become pregnant, particularly with respect to making them aware of the probable risks associated with PD and pregnancy and to enabling them to make an informed choice regarding how to proceed (2,6).…”

Movement Disorders and Pregnancy

“…A number of studies have reported worsening of PD during pregnancy [8,9], while others report stabilization of the disease [9][10][11][12], or even improvement of the clinical picture [13][14][15]. Based on the available literature, it appears that in most cases, PD progresses during pregnancy, and this is reflected by the increased severity of the clinical manifestations including deterioration of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score and the need to increase the dosage of symptomatic medication [7,8,13,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Additionally, after pregnancy, the patient may not return to her prepregnancy PD symptomatic baseline [8].…”