Objective: To analyze the change in quality of life (QoL) and its longitudinal predictors in a sample of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients.
Background: Natural progression of PD manifestations (motor and non-motor) can be detrimental to QoL in PD. Identification of relevant predictors of impaired QoL could help better deliver personalised bespoke therapies.
Method: The Non-motor International Longitudinal study (NILS) is a longstanding international, longitudinal study. PD patients (N=315) were assessed at baseline and at a four-year follow-up using the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire, 8 item (PDQ-8), SCOPA-Motor, Clinical Impression of Severity Index (CISI-PD), Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) and visual analogue scales (VAS) for physical and mental fatigue. A multivariate linear regression model was performed using change in PDQ-8-SI as dependent variable and the differences in the rest of assessments as independent variables, adjusting for sex, age and disease duration at baseline, and controlling for collinearity.
Results: Patients, aged 64.3 years old (SD: 10.9), with disease duration of 6.6 (SD: 5.3) years, were predominantly male (61%). At baseline, most patients were in Hoehn and Yahr stages 2 (46%) and 3 (28%). PDQ-8-SI scores were 25.2 (standard deviation, SD: 17.7; range: 0-88) at baseline and 31.8 (SD: 19.8; range: 0-88) at follow-up (p<0.001). In the linear regression model, explaining 35% of variance, worsening in PDQ-8-SI was associated to worsening in HADS Depression (standard β=0.24), SCOPA-Motor activities of daily living subscale (β=0.23), PDSS (β=-0.20), NMSS attention/memory (β=0.14) and mood/apathy (β=0.11) domains, and physical fatigue (β=0.10).
Conclusion: In PD patients a deterioration in QoL over a 4 years follow up can be observed, driven by depression, apathy, cognitive and sleep disorders, fatigue and motor disability, which are independent contributors to QoL impairment. Management of PD needs to consider these motor and non-motor aspects to improve QoL.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
C. Rodriguez-Blazquez, MJ. Forjaz, A. Rizos, P. Martinez-Martin, KR. Chaudhuri. Longitudinal predictors of quality of life in Parkinson’s disease: analysis of NILS cohort data at four years follow up [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2022; 37 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/longitudinal-predictors-of-quality-of-life-in-parkinsons-disease-analysis-of-nils-cohort-data-at-four-years-follow-up/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2022 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/longitudinal-predictors-of-quality-of-life-in-parkinsons-disease-analysis-of-nils-cohort-data-at-four-years-follow-up/