Objective: We compared the clinical symptoms of early Parkinson’s disease (PD) between young-onset and elderly-onset.
Background: The progression of PD varies depending on the age at onset, and it has been reported that both motor and non-motor symptoms progress more rapidly in elderly-onset patients.
Method: The subjects were patients who had noticed motor symptoms within 3 years, with the young-onset (Y) group being younger than 60 years old and the elderly-onset (E) group being 70 years old or older. We compared the initial motor symptoms, Hoehn & Yahr (HY) severity, the Japanese version of the movement disorder society-sponsored revision of the unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (MDS-UPDRS), Mini-Mental Examination (MMSE), Japanese version of the RBD Screening Questionnaire (RBDSQ-J), olfactory identification test, and levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD).
Results: There were 34 cases in Y group (mean age 55 years old) and 63 cases in E group (mean age 72 years old). The initial symptoms were tremor and bradykinesia with almost equal frequency in both groups. MMSE score was significantly decreased in E group with 5 cases less than 24 points. Regarding treatment, 29.4% of Y group and 28.6% of E group were untreated, and there was no significant difference in the amount of LEDD. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the proportion of possible RBD, number of correct answers in the olfactory identification function test, severity of HY, and total score of MDS-UPDRS parts I, II, and III. However, in the sub-items of MDS-UPDRS, the scores of dressing in part II, and arising from chair, postural stability, posture, and global spontaneity of movement in part III were significantly higher in E group than in Y group. Regarding comorbidities, lumbar lesions were present in 8 patients (12.1%) in E group and 1 patient (2.9%) in Y group, while depression or panic disorder was present in 3 patients (4.5%) in E group and 7 patients (20.6%) in Y group.
Conclusion: In patients with elderly-onset PD, motor functions such as the ability to stand up and postural stability decline early in the disease, making early and sufficient therapeutic intervention necessary to prevent falls.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
M. Iijima, R. Morimoto, K. Suzuki, S. Nogawa, Y. Okuma. Comparison of clinical symptoms between young-onset and elderly-onset in patient with early Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2025; 40 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/comparison-of-clinical-symptoms-between-young-onset-and-elderly-onset-in-patient-with-early-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed October 5, 2025.« Back to 2025 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/comparison-of-clinical-symptoms-between-young-onset-and-elderly-onset-in-patient-with-early-parkinsons-disease/