Non-Motor Symptoms Burden in Early Stages of Parkinson's Disease

BACKGROUND: Non-motor symptoms (NMSs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) are often overlooked and thus can impede clinical management and significantly reduce the patient's quality of life. AIMS: The study aimed to determine the burden of NMS in the early stages of PD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A 1-year observational cross-sectional study was conducted at Mayo Hospital, Lahore, in 2019. The MDS-PD criteria were used to diagnose PD patients. The study included patients with Hoehn and Yahr (HY) stages 1–3. The frequency of NMSs was assessed using a non-motor symptom questionnaire (NMSQ), and the non-motor symptom scale (NMSS) score was derived using the NMSS. RESULTS: A total of 100 PD patients were enrolled in the study. Sixty-three (63%) were males and 37 (37%) were females. Their age ranged between 45 and 75 years with a mean ± SD of 57.46 ± 8.46. At least one NMS was reported by 84% of patients, with neuropsychiatric symptoms (68%) preponderant, followed by a change in taste and smell (64%). The mean NMSS score is 46.22 ± 22.098 (median 44) with a range from 0 to 88, with the trend being increasing score with the advancing stage. CONCLUSION: The use of the NMSQ and NMSS tools should be standard in clinical practice to identify the severity of the disease and commence appropriate care.