Objective: To analyze whether there is a relationship between sex and the presence of genitourinary symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease and its impact on their mental and emotional health.

Background: Genitourinary dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease encompasses a spectrum of urinary and sexual symptoms arising from the complex interplay between central and peripheral nervous system abnormalities. The basal ganglia, brainstem, and spinal cord play pivotal roles in the regulation of micturition and sexual function, and their dysfunction contributes to the high prevalence of urinary urgency, frequency, nocturia, and incontinence observed in PD patients.

Method: The study was conducted with patients recruited and interviewed by the Mexican Parkinson’s Research Network (MEX-PD, 138 males and 138 females). The Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), section “1.10. Urinary problems,” was used to assess urinary urgency, frequency, and incontinence. Similarly, the analysis of the depression variable was performed using the Depressive Mood Scale, a tool designed to evaluate depressive symptoms in PD patients. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test with continuity correction and linear regression in RStudio 4.4.2 to determine significant differences in urinary symptoms and depression between sexes.

Results: Urinary problems were observed in 1.14% of female patients and 1.19% of male patients. The analysis did not reveal a statistically significant difference between groups (W = 9363, p = 0.7914), indicating that urinary symptoms were similarly distributed among sexes. A linear regression analysis revealed that depressive status according to UPDRS (0.1766, p = 0.00382) was significantly associated with an increased probability of urinary symptoms (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: The findings indicate that there is no significant difference in the presence of urinary symptoms between men and women with PD. However, depressive status is the only relevant predictor of urinary symptoms, suggesting that higher levels of depression are associated with an increased likelihood of urinary issues. These results highlight the need for greater attention to the emotional health of patients with PD, as mental well-being may be linked to other underlying symptoms of the disease.

F1.Score and frequency of Urinary Problems.

F2.Score and frequency of Depression.

References: López Valdés E, Merello M. Urinary dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease. Rev Chil Neuro-Psiquiat. 2022;60(1):62-70. Available from: https://www.scielo.cl/pdf/rchnp/v60n1/0717-9227-rchnp-60-01-0062.pdf
Sakakibara R, Panicker J, Finazzi-Agrò E, Iacovelli V, Bruschini H, Tateno F, et al. Urinary dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease: A narrative review. Nat Rev Urol. 2017;14(2):79-89. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/nrurol.2016.254
Santos-Lobato BL, Prado M, Chaves RS, da Silva ALF, dos Santos Júnior JP. Prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms, urinary incontinence, and retention in Parkinson’s disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022;14:977572. Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.977572/full
Fundación Conoce el Parkinson. Problemas urinarios en el Parkinson. 2023. Available from: https://conoceelparkinson.org/sintomas/problemas-urinarios-parkinson/
Sakakibara R, Odaka T, Uchiyama T, Asahina M, Yamaguchi K, Yamaguchi T, et al. Does depression contribute to the bladder and bowel complaints in Parkinson’s disease? Neurourol Urodyn. 2021;40(2):644-649. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7853193/

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/prevalence-of-urinary-problems-in-men-and-women-with-parkinsons-disease-a-study-from-the-mexican-parkinsons-research-network/