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From the Departments of Neurology (D.V., J.M., M.V., S.M.v.R., J.J.v.H.) and Medical Decision Making (A.M.S.), Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dagmar Verbaan, Department of Neurology, K5Q–92, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands D.Verbaan{at}lumc.nl
Objective: There is a wide range of autonomic symptoms (AS) in Parkinson disease (PD), but the full spectrum has never been evaluated with a validated instrument and in comparison with control subjects. In this study a reliable and valid instrument, the SCOPA–AUT, was used to evaluate the occurrence of AS in a large cohort of patients with PD and control subjects and to assess the relations with demographic, disease-related, and clinical variables.
Methods: A cohort of 420 patients with PD was evaluated for the occurrence of AS, motor and nonmotor symptoms, as well as for demographic and disease-related characteristics. Results were compared with those of 150 control subjects. Associations between AS and demographic and clinical characteristics were also studied.
Results: For all autonomic domains, patients with PD reported more symptoms compared to control subjects, with the greatest differences in the gastrointestinal and urinary domain. Higher age, greater disease severity, and higher doses of dopaminergic medication were related to more autonomic problems. Autonomic symptom severity was associated with more motor dysfunction, depressive symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, psychiatric complications, nighttime sleep disturbances, and excessive daytime sleepiness (all p values < 0.01).
Conclusions: Autonomic symptoms (AS) are an important feature of Parkinson disease (PD) and increase with age, disease severity, and medication use. The prominent presence of AS warrants increased clinical awareness and highlights the need for efficacious therapies for the wide spectrum of problems related to this domain of PD.
Editorial, see page 329
Supported by grants from the Prinses Beatrix Foundation (PBF, project no. WAR05–0120), the Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research (NWO, project no. 0940–33–021), the van Alkemade–Keuls Foundation, and the Dutch Parkinson’s Disease Society.
Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Received January 8, 2007. Accepted in final form March 21, 2007.
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Neurology 2007 69: 329-330.
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