Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Caregiver Burden in Parkinson's Disease

OBJECTIVE: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder. It has a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. The present study aims to study the phenomena of neuropsychiatric symptoms and their association with caregiver burden in PD. METHODS: The study was conducted in 100 patients of Parkinson’s disease and their primary caregivers. The patients of PD were diagnosed on the basis of UK Brain Bank criteria; severity/staging of Parkinson’s disease was done by Movement Disorder Society - Unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (MDS-UPDRS-III). Patients who fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited for the study. The neuropsychiatric evaluation was based on Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). Caregiver burden was assessed with the Zarit Caregiver Burden Inventory (ZCBI). RESULTS: Mean age of PD patients was 61.48 ± 6.71 years, majority of them were males (68%). Mean total NPI score of patients was 44.46 ± 5.38. Mean age of caregivers was 52.26 ± 6.80 years, majority of them were females (72%) and spouse (76%) in relation to the patient. Caregiver burden was significantly related to age of the patient, duration of illness, severity of illness, and total NPI score. CONCLUSION: Neuropsychiatric symptoms significantly contribute to the caregiver burden in Parkinson’s disease.