Category: Parkinson’s Disease: Clinical Trials
Objective: The objective of our study is to assess the prevalence of non motor signs in patients with parkinson’s disease and to propose an adapted management algorithm.
Background: Although still considered a paradigmatic movement disorder, Parkinsons disease (PD) is associated with a broad spectrum of non-motor symptoms (NMS). These include disorders of mood and affect, Autonomic dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction and hallucinosis, as well as complex behavioural disorders.
Method: A retrospective study including 136 patients diagnosed with PD was conducted in the department of neurology of the Military Hospital of Tunis from 2011 to 2020. Interrogation and examination of the patient made it possible to determine the non-motor signs as well as their duration of evolution, associated with the NMSS questionnaire.
Results: Non-motor signs were found in 100 patients. Sensory symptoms are represented by hyposmia (33%) and pain (60%). Dysautonomical disorders are dominated by excessive sweating (80%) and urogenital dysfunction (88%). Hypersalivation and constipation are present in respectively 28% and 41% of cases and orthostatic hypotension in 35%. RBD sleep behavior disorders are reported in 67% of cases. They are associated with one or more sleep disorders in 85%. Depression is common (90%). Psychosis and dementia are found respectively in 30% of cases
Conclusion: NMS are now recognized as extremely frequent and important components of PD that can appear during all stages of the disorder. Identifying these symptoms allows to adapt adequate patient care, improve quality of life and reduce morbidity and mortality
References: Pfeiffer, R. F. (2016). Non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, 22, S119–S122. Chaudhuri, K. R., Healy, D. G., & Schapira, A. H. (2006). Non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease: diagnosis and management. The Lancet Neurology, 5(3), 235–245. Schapira, A. H. V., Chaudhuri, K. R., & Jenner, P. (2017). Non-motor features of Parkinson disease. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 18(7), 435–450.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
M. Elfekih, I. Bedoui, B. Douma, M. Mansour, H. Derbali, A. Riahi, M. Meselmani, J. Zaouali, R. Mrissa. Non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2021; 36 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/non-motor-symptoms-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2021
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/non-motor-symptoms-in-parkinsons-disease/