Category: Parkinson's Disease: Non-Motor Symptoms
Objective: To compare the severity of depression and anxiety in PwP between those with T2D and those without T2D.
Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting older adults. Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a chronic prevalent disease among the elderly. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are highly prevalent non-motor features in people living with PD (PwP), including cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, psychosis, impulse control disorders, and apathy3.
In observational studies, those with T2DM appear to be at increased risk of developing PD, as well as experiencing faster progression4. There are common underlying mechanisms in the pathophysiology of both diseases, such as mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, hyperglycemia, and inflammation5.
Method: An observational, cross-sectional, retrospective study was carried out. Gender, age, and evolution of PD in years were collected. The population was divided into two groups, having the diagnosis of T2D as a grouping variable. The clinometric instruments used were as follows: (a) Non-motor Symptom Rating Scale – domain A (MDS-NMS-A) and Hamilton’s Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) for depression, and (b) Non-motor Symptom Rating Scale – domain B (NMS-B) and Hamilton’s Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA) for anxiety. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare means for both groups.
Results: 60 patients were evaluated (58.3% male; mean age 63±15.27 years old). The mean evolution of PD and T2D in years were 7.35±5.98 and 4.45± 6.88 years, respectively. The PwP+T2D group showed higher rates of depression and anxiety, with the statistical difference in MDS-NMS-A (35.1 vs 31.58, p=0.021), HRSD (39.07 vs 21.93, p<0.001), MDS-NMS-B (37.88 vs 21.93, p<0.001), and HRSA (37.88 vs 21.93, p<0.001).
Conclusion: PwP and comorbid T2D tend to increase the severity of depression and anxiety.
References: 1. Beitz JM. Parkinson’s disease: a review. Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2014 Jan 1;6(1):65-74. doi: 10.2741/s415. PMID: 24389262.
2. Goyal R, Jialal I. Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. [Updated 2022 Jun 19]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513253/
3. Weintraub D, Irwin D. Diagnosis and Treatment of Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Parkinson Disease and Dementia With Lewy Bodies. Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2022 Oct 1;28(5):1314-1332. doi: 10.1212/CON.0000000000001151. PMID: 36222767.
4. Cheong JLY, de Pablo-Fernandez E, Foltynie T, Noyce AJ. The Association Between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Parkinson’s Disease. J Parkinsons Dis. 2020;10(3):775-789. doi: 10.3233/JPD-191900. PMID: 32333549; PMCID: PMC7458510.
5. Hassan A, Sharma Kandel R, Mishra R, Gautam J, Alaref A, Jahan N. Diabetes Mellitus and Parkinson’s Disease: Shared Pathophysiological Links and Possible Therapeutic Implications. Cureus. 2020 Aug 18;12(8):e9853. doi: 10.7759/cureus.9853. PMID: 32832307; PMCID: PMC7437092.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
AA. Herrera Ruiz, DR. Aguila Godinez, AJ. Hernández-Medrano, MA. Ruiz Mafud, A. Abundes-Corona, A. Cervantes-Arriaga, M. Rodríguez-Violante. Association between type 2 diabetes mellitus with parkinson’s disease and the increase of the severity of depression and anxiety in a mexican population [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2023; 38 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/association-between-type-2-diabetes-mellitus-with-parkinsons-disease-and-the-increase-of-the-severity-of-depression-and-anxiety-in-a-mexican-population/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2023 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/association-between-type-2-diabetes-mellitus-with-parkinsons-disease-and-the-increase-of-the-severity-of-depression-and-anxiety-in-a-mexican-population/