Category: Education in Movement Disorders
Objective: Determine the relationship between education levels and the diagnostic delay phase, along with the age of symptom perception, in Hispanic patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Background: Access to healthcare and the timely diagnosis of PD are essential factors in optimizing patient outcomes. Understanding the determinants influencing these components, particularly educational levels, age, and prodromal symptoms, is crucial and still underexplored.
Method: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted on Hispanic patients with PD from different countries at various outpatient clinics. The participants were stratified based on their educational backgrounds into inferior, bachelor, and superior education. Two analyses of variance (ANOVA) were executed to investigate the associations between education levels, diagnostic delay phase, and age of initial symptoms perception. Additionally, we documented the initial symptoms perceived by the patient.
Results: The cohort included 101 patients classified into inferior education 16.8% (17), bachelor 23.8% (24), and superior education 59.4% (60), having average ages of 73±12, 75±12, and 68±12, respectively. The ANOVA revealed non-significant associations between education levels and both the diagnostic delay phase ((F=1.424, p=0.245) and the age at symptom perception (F=1.439, P=0.242). Furthermore, in those with inferior education and bachelors, tremor was the first perceived initial symptom, and rigidity in individuals with superior education.
Conclusion: We did not find significant associations between education levels and the diagnostic delay phase or the age at which patients first noticed symptoms of PD. These results contribute to our understanding of potential factors influencing timely access to healthcare and prompt diagnosis.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
C. Rodriguez-Alarcon, D. Piana-Castillo, G. Faggioni-Sanchez, D. Bustamante-Mieles, M. Barreiro-Guillén, C. Cevallos-Velasco, R. Santibanez-Vasquez. Education Levels on Diagnostic Delay Phase and Initial Symptom Perception Among Hispanic Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2024; 39 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/education-levels-on-diagnostic-delay-phase-and-initial-symptom-perception-among-hispanic-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-a-cross-sectional-study/. Accessed June 14, 2025.« Back to 2024 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/education-levels-on-diagnostic-delay-phase-and-initial-symptom-perception-among-hispanic-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-a-cross-sectional-study/