Autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson's disease: a comprehensive symptom survey

• Published in: Parkinsonism & related disorders Vol. 8; no. 4; pp. 277 - 284
• Main Authors: Siddiqui, M.F, Rast, S, Lynn, M.J, Auchus, A.P, Pfeiffer, R.F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2002
• Subjects: Aged; Autonomic function; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases - epidemiology; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases - etiology; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases - physiopathology; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases - epidemiology; Gastrointestinal Diseases - etiology; Health Surveys; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple system atrophy; Parkinson Disease - complications; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson's disease; Prevalence; Reference Values; Regression Analysis; Severity of Illness Index; Autonomic function; Multiple system atrophy; Parkinson's disease
• ISSN: 1353-8020; 1873-5126
• DOI: 10.1016/S1353-8020(01)00052-9

Background: Autonomic dysfunction occurs in Parkinson's disease (PD), but few studies have addressed it in a comprehensive manner.
Methods: Autonomic symptoms were evaluated by a questionnaire in sixty-eight subjects (44 patients and 24 controls).
Results: PD patients experienced higher frequency and severity of autonomic dysfunction. When all autonomic symptoms were pooled into an aggregate score, differences between patients and controls were highly statistically significant (
p<0.0001). ‘Increased salivation’, ‘frequency of dysphagia’, decreased ‘BM (bowel movement) frequency’, i.e. constipation, and ‘orthostatic dizziness’ were more frequent in PD patients (
p<0.05). A prediction model to determine the predictors of autonomic dysfunction was unsuccessful.
Conclusion: Differences in the prevalence of autonomic symptoms in PD and non-parkinsonian controls are apparent from this study.