Objective: We sought to estimate the impact of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (cAN) on informal caregivers of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), defined as individuals providing regular care to a friend, partner, or family member with PD, and to evaluate the mutual relationship between caregivers’ burden and patient health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Background: cAN is a disabling and frequently unrecognized feature of PD. However, its impact on caregivers’ burden has been scarcely investigated.

Method: We enrolled 36 consecutive PD patients and their informal caregivers. Patients underwent a detailed motor, autonomic, cognitive, and functional assessment. Caregivers were assessed with the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Differences in caregivers’ burden, expressed by the ZBI score, and strength of association between caregivers’ burden, cAN, and HRQoL were assessed using ANCOVA, logistic regression, and linear regression analyses. Analyses were adjusted for patients’ age, PD duration, motor and cognitive disability, and caregivers’ age.

Results: Moderate-severe caregiver burden was reported in 41.7% of PDcAN+ vs. 8.7% of PDcAN- (p<0.001). The ZBI score was increased in PDcAN+ vs. PDcAN- (31.48±3.36 vs. 15.23±2.31; p<0.001), with 10-fold higher odds (p=0.012) of moderate-severe caregiver burden in PDcAN+, even after adjusting for potential confounders. The ZBI score correlated with cAN severity (p=0.005), global autonomic impairment (p=0.012), and HRQoL impairment (p<0.001).

Conclusion: These results highlight the significant impact of cAN on PD caregivers and the need for targeted interventions addressing this frequently overlooked and insufficiently treated source of non-motor disability in PD.

« Back to 2022 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/caregiver-burden-in-parkinsons-disease-patients-with-cardiovascular-dysautonomia/