Objective: We aimed to assess the average duration of Parkinson’s disease at the time patient was diagnosed with specific neuropsychiatric disturbance, to study their prevalence and correlation with age, sex, and treatment strategies.

Background: Neuropsychiatric signs are among the most important non-motor manifestations of Parkinson’s Disease. The appearance of psychiatric signs is usually preceded by movement disturbances and the duration of Parkinson’s disease after which these signs develop can vary between different patients.

Method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and accompanying psychiatric disorder during the last decade in the First University Clinic of Tbilisi State Medical University. We studied the clinical and demographic features of this population, treatment options that have been used, and the time interval between diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and specific psychiatric conditions.

Results: We studied 832 cases of Parkinson’s disease from the last decade, from whom 110 patients (13.22%) have been diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder. The mean age of these patients was 67.32, Standard Deviation (SD) +/- 5.71. 52.7 % of the patients (n=58) were male, 47,27 (n=52) female. In 12.7% of patients (n=14) these signs manifested within the first year of diagnosed Parkinson’s disease, 38.1 % (n=42) 1-3 years, 25.45% (n=28) 3-5 years, 23.63% (n=26) 5-10 years. The overall mean duration was 3.6 years,(+/- SD 2.4). 38.18% (n=42) of the observed patients have been diagnosed with depression, 25.45 % (n=28) anxiety, 52.72 % (n=58) psychosis, 49% (n=54) apathy. Interestingly 65.45 % of these patients (n=72) have been diagnosed with more than one psychiatric condition after the symptom onset of Parkinson’s disease. 49% of patients (n=54) have been treated with Levodopa/Carbidopa, the remaining 51% (n=56) with Levodopa/carbidopa + entacapone.

Conclusion: In the majority of patients 76.36% (n=84) of patients, psychiatric signs manifested within 5 years from the onset of Parkinson’s disease, half of them were diagnosed between 1-3 years. Observed psychiatric symptoms were dominated by psychosis, apathy, and depression, most of the patients being diagnosed by more than one condition.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/epidemiologic-and-clinical-features-of-psychiatric-disorders-in-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-a-retrospective-cohort-study/