Abstract Background Severity of PD is usually assessed by means of the motor and disability-based Hoehn and Yahr staging (HY), or clinician and patient global perceptions. Scores of more detailed ...assessments, as the MDS-UPDRS, have not been translated to a grading that allows assignment of score sections to severity levels. The objective of the present study is to determine cut-off points for PD severity levels based on the MDS-UPDRS. Methods International, observational study. Applied assessments were: HY, MDS-UPDRS, Clinical Impression for Severity Index, and Clinical and Patient Global Impression of Severity. The coincidence in severity level (mild, moderate, severe) of at least two clinical classifications plus the patient's gradation was considered “the criterion of severity”. Cut-off values for each MDS-UPDRS subscale was determined by triangulation of: 1) percentile 90 of the subscale total score; 2) receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis; and 3) ordinal logistic regression (OLR) model. Results Sample was composed of 452 consecutive PD patients without dementia, 55.3% males, age 65.1 ± 10.7 years and PD duration 8.7 ± 6.3 years. All HY stages were represented. The “criterion”, classified 275 patients (60.8% of the sample) as: mild PD, 149 (54.2%); moderate, 82 (29.8%); and severe, 44 (16%). The following MDS-UPDRS cut-off points between mild/moderate and moderate/severe levels were found: Part 1: 10/11 and 21/22; Part 2: 12/13 and 29/30; Part 3: 32/33 and 58/59; and Part 4: 4/5 and 12/13. Conclusion Cut-off points to classify PD patients as mild, moderate, or severe on the basis of their MDS-UPDRS scores are proposed.
: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a clinically heterogeneous disorder in which the symptoms and prognosis can be very different among patients. We propose a new simple classification to identify key ...symptoms and staging in PD.
: Sixteen movement disorders specialists from Spain participated in this project. The classification was consensually approved after a discussion and review process from June to October 2021. The TNM classification and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were considered as models in the design.
: The classification was named MNCD and included 4 major axes: (1) motor symptoms; (2) non-motor symptoms; (3) cognition; (4) dependency for activities of daily living (ADL). Motor axis included 4 sub-axes: (1) motor fluctuations; (2) dyskinesia; (3) axial symptoms; (4) tremor. Four other sub-axes were included in the non-motor axis: (1) neuropsychiatric symptoms; (2) autonomic dysfunction; (3) sleep disturbances and fatigue; (4) pain and sensory disorders. According to the MNCD, 5 stages were considered, from stage 1 (no disabling motor or non-motor symptoms with normal cognition and independency for ADL) to 5 (dementia and dependency for basic ADL).
: A new simple classification of PD is proposed. The MNCD classification includes 4 major axes and 5 stages to identify key symptoms and monitor the evolution of the disease in patients with PD. It is necessary to apply this proof of concept in a properly designed study.
Abstract Extensive published evidence supports the use of subcutaneously-administered apomorphine as an effective therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) but to date no consensus recommendations have ...been available to guide healthcare professionals in the optimal application of apomorphine therapy in clinical practice. This document outlines best-practice recommendations for selecting appropriate candidates for apomorphine intermittent injection (the pen-injection formulation) or apomorphine continuous infusion (the pump formulation), for initiating patients onto therapy and for managing their ongoing treatment. Apomorphine is a suitable therapeutic option for PD patients who experience troublesome ‘off’ periods despite optimized treatment with oral PD medications. Due to its speed of onset, apomorphine injection is particularly suited to those patients requiring rapid, reliable relief of both unpredictable and predictable ‘off’ periods, those who require reliable and fast relief when anticipating an ‘off’, those with levodopa absorption or gastric emptying problems resulting in delayed or failed ‘on’, or for rapid relief of early morning dystonia or akinesia. Apomorphine infusion is suited for patients whose ‘off’ periods can no longer be adequately controlled by standard oral PD treatment or for those in whom rescue doses of apomorphine injection are effective but either needed too frequently (more than 4–6 times per day), or are associated with increasing dyskinesia. In addition to treating motor fluctuations, there is evidence that apomorphine infusion may be effective for the management of specific non-motor symptoms of PD associated with ‘off’ periods. Apomorphine infusion is less invasive than other non-oral treatment options for advancing disease, intrajejunal levodopa infusion and deep-brain stimulation.
ABSTRACT
Background
Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, especially those on dopamine agonists (DA), are at risk of impulse control disorders (ICD). Little attention has been paid to the influence of ...environmental factors.
Cases
Retrospective analysis of consecutive PD patients seen in our outpatient Movement Disorders Clinic during 2 months (September–November 2020) to explore the frequency of ICD during the preceding 2‐month lockdown period, and comparison with an equivalent control group (September–November 2019). Among 114 patients assessed, 15 (13%) presented ICD during the lockdown, versus 6 (4.5%, P 0.02) in the control group. When analyzing only patients on DA, ICD occurrence increased to 31% (vs. 9.6% pre‐lockdown, P 0.026). ICD during lockdown required drug regime adjustment in 80% (vs. 16.7% pre‐lockdown, P 0.014).
Conclusion
During COVID‐19 lockdown, the occurrence of ICD in PD patients taking DA was higher than expected, and with increased severity. Environmental stressors may play a role in ICD presentation in vulnerable patients.
Background
Impulse control disorders (ICDs) have an increased frequency in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), mainly because of treatment with dopamine agonists (DA). Factors related with the ...country of origin (culture, economy, healthcare politics) may impact phenomenology.
Objectives
To explore phenomenology of ICDs depending on the country.
Methods
A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was performed using Pubmed database. Articles published up to 2018 in which the prevalence of ICDs was analyzed were selected.
Results
Thirty‐two studies from 22 countries worldwide were included. The highest prevalence of ICDs in each continent was found in UK (59%), USA (39.1%) and India (31.6%). Frequency of ICDs was higher in those studies with lower mean age, higher proportion of males, whenever a screening instrument was used and whenever prescription of DAs was more common. Prevalence of ICDs was higher in Western countries compared to Asian countries (20.8% vs. 12.8%, P < 0.001) as it was the proportion of patients treated with DAs (66% vs. 48.2%, P < 0.001). Hypersexuality was the most common ICD overall (up to 23.8%). The highest frequencies of compulsive buying and eating were found in Western countries. Gambling was less commonly diagnosed, but prevalence was relevant Japan (14%).
Conclusion
We observed a tendency towards a different ICD profile in different geographical areas, which may be attributable to socio‐economical, cultural or political influences in the phenomenology of these disorders. Acknowledging these differences could help their early detection, which is critical for prognosis.
We aimed to assess the effects of safinamide on depression, motor symptoms, and the serotonin syndrome related to its co-administration with antidepressants in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).
...We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients at 1 and 3 months of follow-up compared to baseline.
= 82 (safinamide 50 mg = 22, 100 mg = 60, with antidepressants = 44). First, we found improvement in depression (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale: -6 ± 5.10 at 1 month and -7.27 ± 5.10 at 3 months,
< 0.0001; Patient Global Impression of Improvement Scale: 60.3% and 69.5% of patients at 1 and 3 months reported some improvement). Second, safinamide improved the daily life activities and motor symptoms/motor complications (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-II): -2.51 ± 6.30 and -2.47 ± 6.11 at 1 and 3 months,
< 0.0001; III: -3.58 ± 8.68 and -4.03 ± 8.95 at 1 and 3 months,
< 0.0001; IV: -0.61 ± 2.61 and -0.8 ± 2.53 at 1 and 3 months,
< 0.0001). Third, 7.31% and 8.53% of patients developed non-severe adverse events related to safinamide at 1 and 3 months. Serotonin syndrome was not observed in the patients treated with antidepressants; some isolated serotonin syndrome symptoms were reported.
Safinamide could be useful for treating depression in PD; it was effective for motor symptoms and motor complications and safe even when co-administered with antidepressants.
For specialists in charge of Parkinson's disease (PD), one of the most time-consuming tasks of the consultations is the assessment of symptoms and motor fluctuations. This task is complex and is ...usually based on the information provided by the patients themselves, which in most cases is complex and biased. In recent times, different tools have appeared on the market that allow automatic ambulatory monitoring. The MoMoPa-EC clinical trial (NCT04176302) investigates the effect of one of these tools-Sense4Care's STAT-ON-can have on routine clinical practice. In this sub-analysis the agreement between the Hauser diaries and the STAT-ON sensor is analyzed.
Eighty four patients from MoMoPa-EC cohort were included in this sub-analysis. The intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated between the patient diary entries and the sensor data.
The intraclass correlation coefficient of both methods was 0.57 (95% CI: 0.3-0.73) for the OFF time (%), 0.48 (95% CI: 0.17-0.68) for the time in ON (%), and 0.65 (95% CI%: 0.44-0.78) for the time with dyskinesias (%). Furthermore, the Spearman correlations with the UPDRS scale have been analyzed for different parameters of the two methods. The maximum correlation found was -0.63 (
< 0.001) between Mean Fluidity (one of the variables offered by the STAT-dON) and factor 1 of the UPDRS.
This sub-analysis shows a moderate concordance between the two tools, it is clearly appreciated that the correlation between the different UPDRS indices is better with the STAT-ON than with the Hauser diary.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT04176302 (NCT04176302).