Non-motor symptoms fluctuations in patients with Parkinson's disease at the Clinical Hospital of Salvador, Bahia

Motor fluctuations in Parkinson's disease (PD) are a frequent long-term complication. Knowledge is limited on the prevalence and incidence of non-motor symptoms (NMS) fluctuations, especially in Brazil. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to verify the frequency of NMS fluctuations and its relationship with other aspects of PD in patients followed at an outpatient movement disorders clinic. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study in which patients were evaluated for the presence of both types of fluctuations using the Wearing Off Questionnaire (WOQ-19). RESULTS: A total of 37 patients (11 women and 26 men) were participated in this study, and the frequency of NMS fluctuations was 54.1% (90.9% in women and 38.5% in men). Anxiety was the most frequent non-motor fluctuation (35.1%). The highest percentage of NMS fluctuations (70%) was found in the group in which disease duration was more than 6 years. Most patients with motor fluctuations also had NMS fluctuations (66.7%). No patient presented with isolated NMS fluctuations. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that, in the study population, approximately half of the patients had NMS fluctuations, with a higher frequency among women. A higher frequency was present in patients with earlier age of diagnosis, longer duration, and greater severity of disease. These findings point to the importance of recognizing the fluctuations of NMS in the study population, since these may not be spontaneously mentioned by the patient, who is remaining unnoticed, undiagnosed, and not treated by the neurologist, representing a significant aggravating factor in the patient's quality of life.