Objective: The first-degree relatives of PD patients (such as siblings) and the spouses living together for many years do not have classic motor symptoms. However, the incidence of NMS in first-degree relatives and spouses of PD patients is still unknown.

Background: Familial-aggregation research results have revealed that the relatives of PD patients have a higher risk of PD than the relatives of non-PD patients [2,3,4,5]. According to the Braak pathological classification of PD proposed in 2003[6], patients may exhibit many prodromal symptoms several years before the onset of motor symptoms.Assuming that PD patients and their first-degree relatives have common pathogenic genes and early life-affecting factors, it is hypothesized that they are more likely to develop non-motor symptoms (NMS).

Methods: A total of 98 PD patients of the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University were recruited between January 2015 and August 2017; 256 siblings of these patients were included in a first-degree relatives (FDR) group，87 spouses of PD patients were included in a spouses group and 250 healthy individuals were included in a control group. Record the general information for all the subjects. Various scales were used to assess NMS, including depression, anxiety, cognitive function, sleep status, constipation, daytime sleepiness, subjective olfactory disorder, Rapid-Eye-Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD), and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).

Results: NMS were more common in the PD group than the control group. The incidence of anxiety (OR=3.063, 95%CI: 1.858-5.049, P<0.001), depression (OR=2.164, 95%CI: 1.159-4.042, P=0.014), RBD (OR=3.825, 95%CI: 1.786-8.192, P<0.001) and subjective olfactory disorder (OR=4.476, 95%CI: 2.024-9.898, P<0.001) was higher in the FDR group than the control group. There were non-significant differences in constipation, cognitive impairment, sleep disorder, daytime sleepiness, and RLS between the two groups. There were non-significant differences in NMS between the spouse group and control group, except the mild depression (OR=2.576, 95%CI: 1.071-6.195, P＝0.029) in spouse group was more obvious.

Conclusions: the first-degree relatives of PD are more likely to have PD prodromal symptoms compare with those without PD family history. It is speculated that PD patients and their siblings have common pathogenic genetic factors and early living environment for neurodegeneration.There was no obvious non motor symptoms in the spouses of PD patients, except mild depression.It could speculate that the causes of Pd is not associated with the family living environment in adulthood.

References: [1] M.J. Farrer, Genetics of Parkinson`s disease: paradigm shifts and future prospects, Nat Rev Genet 7(2006)306–318. [2 International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium, M.A. Nalls, V. Plagnol, D.G. Hernandez, M. Sharma, U.M. Sheerin, M.Saad, J.Simón-Sánchez, C. Schulte, S. Lesage, S. Sveinbjörnsdóttir, K. Stefánsson, M. Martinez, J. Hardy, P. Heutink, A. Brice, T. Gasser, A.B. Singleton, N.W. Wood, Imputation of sequence variants for identification of genetic risks for Parkinson`s disease: a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies, Lancet. 377(2011) 641– 649. [3] S. Sveinbjörnsdottir, A.A. Hicks, T. Jonsson, H. Pétursson, G. Guğmundsson, M.L. Frigge, A. Kong, J.R. Gulcher, K. Stefansson, Familial aggregation of Parkinson`s disease in Iceland, N Engl J Med 343(2000) 1765–1770. [4] H. Payami, S. Zareparsi, D. James, J. Nutt, Familial aggregation of Parkinson`s disease: a comparative study of early- onset and late-onset disease, Arch Neurol 59(2002) 848–850. [5] K. Marder, G. Levy, E.D. Louis, H. Mejia-Santana, L. Cote, H. Andrews, J. Harris, C. Waters, B. Ford, S. Frucht, S. Fahn, R. Ottman, Familial aggregation of early- and late-onset Parkinson`s disease, Ann Neurol 54(2003)507–513. [6] H. Braak, K. Del Tredici, U. Rüb, R.A. de Vos, E.N. Jansen Steur, E. Braak, Staging of brain pathology related to sporadic Parkinson’s disease, Neurobiol Aging 24(2003) 197-211.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/investigation-of-the-incidences-of-non-motor-symptoms-in-first-degree-relatives-and-the-spouses-of-patients-with-parkinsons-disease/