Parkinson's disease: Impact of clinical and cognitive aspects on quality of life

Dement Neuropsychol. 2010 Apr-Jun;4(2):131-137. doi: 10.1590/S1980-57642010DN40200010.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic disease manifested principally by motor signs and symptoms, but with frequent neuropsychological alterations.

Objectives: To study the relationship between clinical and cognitive aspects and the perception of quality of life (QOL) in PD patients.

Methods: Twenty consecutive patients (13 men) with idiopathic PD (mean age: 64.5y), mean disease time of 7.8 years and at stages 1-3 according to the modified Hoehn and Yahr staging scale (HYS), all outpatients from the Neurology Department of the Celso Pierro General and Maternity Hospital (PUC-Campinas), were analyzed. The following were applied: a clinical-neurological assessment, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), standard neuropsychological battery of the CERAD (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and a QOL questionnaire (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire - PDQ-39). Statistical analysis was carried out at a significance level of p<0.05.

Results: On the PDQ-39 under the sections total, mobility and activities of daily living, and the items motor compromise (HYS) and language of the MMSE were predictors of worse QOL. Verbal fluency was a factor for emotional well-being on the PDQ-39, whereas higher scores for HAM-D and worse performance on the item attention and calculation of the MMSE were associated with worse QOL in the social support section. Total score on the MMSE and educational level were QOL factors in cognition.

Conclusions: The findings of the present study suggest that clinical, cognitive, motor or other depression-related factors contribute differently to the domains of QOL.

Doença de Parkinson (DP) é uma doença crônica que se manifesta principalmente por sinais e sintomas motores, mas com alterações neuropsicológicas frequentes.

Objetivos: Estudar a relação de aspectos clínicos e cognitivos com a percepção da qualidade de vida (QV) em pacientes com DP.

Métodos: Foram analisados 20 pacientes (13 do gênero masculino) consecutivos com DP idiopática (idade média: 64,5 anos), tempo médio de doença de 7,8 anos e estágio 1-3 na escala Hoehn e Yarh modificada (HY), procedentes do ambulatório de Neurologia do Hospital e Maternidade Celso Pierro (PUC-Campinas). Foram realizados: anamnese, exame neurológico, mini-exame do estado mental (MEEM), bateria neurospicológica do CERAD, escala de depressão de Hamilton (EDH) e questionário de QV (Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire - PDQ-39). Foi feito o estudo estatístico, com nível de significância p<0.05.

Resultados: Comprometimento motor e no item “linguagem” do MEEM foram preditores de pior QV no PDQ-39 “total”, “mobilidade” e “atividades da vida diária”. A fluência verbal foi fator de “bem estar emocional” do PDQ-39, enquanto maiores escores na EDH e desempenho inferior no item “atenção e calculo” do MEEM estiveram associados a pior QV em “apoio social”. O escore total do MEEM e o nivel de escolaridade foram fatores de QV em “cognição”.

Conclusões: Nossos achados sugerem que diferentes fatores clínicos, cognitivos, da motricidade ou ligados a depressão contribuem de modo diferenciado para os diversos domínios da QV.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; cognition; depression; quality of life.