Category: Parkinson's Disease: Non-Motor Symptoms
Objective: to study the gender differences in fatigue and sleep characteristics in a cohort of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients
Background: Fatigue is a common problem among people with Parkinson’s disease, with different potential etiologies
Method: consecutive 50 PD patients with fatigue were included in the present study. The Parkinson’s Disease Fatigue Scale (PFS-16) with a cut-off score of 3.3 or higher was used to assess the presence of fatigue as well as fatigue characteristics. Sleep characteristics were assessed with Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale-2 (PDSS-2) and Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s Disease – Sleep (SCOPA-Sleep). Mood disorders were assessed with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) were used to evaluate the health-related quality of life. Clinical characteristics of patients with PD and fatigue included the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III (MDS-UPDRS part III) and Modified Hoehn and Yahr (H-Y) stage
Results: The prevalence of fatigue was higher in females (60%, n=30) compared to males. No significant difference was observed in age and disease duration between males and females. Lower scores in PFS-16 (4.18±0.38 vs 4.25±0.39), PDSS-2 (29.36±9.88 vs 30.5±9.48) and SCOPA-SLEEP (17.9±5.61 vs 19.75±6.72) were found in females compared to males but the differences were not significant. Little difference was also observed in quality of life assessment, where females had lower scores compared to males, but the results were not significant. Anxiety and depression were more prevalent in females (23.3% and 46.6% respectively) compared to males (15% and 35% respectively). No significant difference in motor performance was found between males and females
Conclusion: females have a higher prevalence of fatigue compared to males. There are little differences regarding the severity of fatigue and sleep dysfunction between females and males
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
S. Diaconu, S. Berzunteanu, E. Ungureanu, B. Ciopleias, R. Zosin, M. Cusnir, A. Iacob, I. Murasan, B. Ciocanescu, C. Falup-Pecurariu. gender differences of fatigue and sleep characteristics in parkinson’s disease patients [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2023; 38 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/gender-differences-of-fatigue-and-sleep-characteristics-in-parkinsons-disease-patients/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2023 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/gender-differences-of-fatigue-and-sleep-characteristics-in-parkinsons-disease-patients/