Objective: To verify demographic characteristics of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) completing a two-week inpatient multimodal intensive neurorehabilitation and care (iMINC) program and whether iMINC had similar effects across ethnicities and races.

Background: PD is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease with similar incidence across races and ethnicities. However, the best predictors for optimal care are high socio-economic level, marital status, urban living, and white patients. One of the most complete care models has been established in Europe more than a decade ago in specialized centers. It is based on four-week inpatient multimodal intense programs that result in improvements for most motor and non-motor symptoms at all PD stages. It has been recently reproduced in the US at Northwell Health Glen Cove Hospital with a two-week program of intense rehabilitation, neuropsychology, dietary, social worker care, art therapy, and caregiver support.

Method: In this retrospective study, we reviewed records of patients that completed iMINC and compared pre- and post-iMINC outcome measures (UPDRSIII, Beck Depression Inventory [BDI], PD sleep scale, and PDQ39).

Results: We found that 336 patients with PD included 14 Hispanic (4.2%), 24 Asian (7.1%), 17 African-American (5.1%), and 279 Caucasian (83%) subjects underwent iMINC for a 14-day median. At baseline, Hispanic and Asian groups did not differ from the other groups in terms of age, stage, and motor UPDRS scores, although they had on average worse scores of Beck Depression Inventory, PD sleep scale, and PDQ39, suggesting that non motor symptoms may be more severe in these two groups. After iMINC, all outcome measures significant improved in all patient groups, without differences between groups (all tests p>0.1).

Conclusion: Participation to iMINC program by non-Caucasian patients with PD is very limited, especially considering New York City demographic composition. Nevertheless, iMINC can provide significant benefit to patients regardless of race or ethnicity, improving both motor and non-motor PD symptoms. Future work is needed to confirm these results in larger populations and to address the scarcity of non Caucasian patients possibly with community-based programs.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/inpatient-multimodal-care-improves-parkinsonian-symptoms-regardless-of-race-or-ethnicity/