Objective: To compare certain key demographic features and QTc intervals in groups of PD military Veterans with and without psychosis.
Background: Psychosis is a disabling non motor symptom in Parkinson’s disease. It’s association with key demographic features in military Veterans with Parkinson’s disease has not been studied; and may be useful in proactive interventions.
Similarly, determining baseline QTc intervals of PD patients with untreated psychosis and those without psychosis, may be useful in treatment planning.
Method: Medical records of 2340 sequential Veterans who receive care at the Houston Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Center and had an ICD10 diagnostic code for Parkinson’s disease were reviewed. Subjects were selected if the documentation met UK brain bank criteria for the presence of PD. Presence or absence of psychosis was established by reviewing the non-motor symptom scale in the clinical note and confirmed with the treating movement disorders neurologist. First 140 subjects with PD and evidence of psychosis (Group A) were included and compared with 140 PD subjects without psychosis (Group B), in the same sequence.
Demographic features (gender, age, ethnicity) and QTc intervals of both groups (A&B) were compared.
Results: Group A: (PD with psychosis) N= 140 (Men – 139, Woman -1), mean age 76.82 years, White (non-Hispanic) 61.43%, African American/black, 21.43% Latino/Hispanic 17.15%. Mean QTc 437.607 ms (380-543)
Group B: (PD without psychosis), N= 140 (Men – 137, Women -3), mean age 73.74 years, White (non-Hispanic) 65.75%, African American/black, 21.65% Latino/Hispanic 10.7%. Mean QTc 437.209 (355-583).
Conclusion: Latino/ Hispanic military Veterans with Parkinson’s disease had the highest incidence of psychosis amongst the three ethnic groups studied. The Veterans with PD and psychosis were older and had a lower representation of woman (0.7 % vs 2.1 %) than those without psychosis. There was no statistically significant difference in QTc intervals between the two groups. These observations require further study.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
A. Sarwar, P. Bigner. Demographic Features, QTc Interval and Psychosis in Military Veterans with Parkinson’s disease (PD) [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2025; 40 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/demographic-features-qtc-interval-and-psychosis-in-military-veterans-with-parkinsons-disease-pd/. Accessed October 5, 2025.« Back to 2025 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/demographic-features-qtc-interval-and-psychosis-in-military-veterans-with-parkinsons-disease-pd/