Characteristic Motor and Nonmotor Symptoms Related to Quality of Life in Drug-Naïve Patients with Late-Onset Parkinson Disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Unlike young-onset Parkinson disease (YOPD), characteristics of late-onset PD (LOPD) have not yet been clearly elucidated. We investigated characteristic features and symptoms related to quality of life (QoL) in LOPD patients.

METHODS

We recruited drug-naïve, early PD patients. The patient cohort was divided into 3 subgroups based on patient age at onset (AAO): the YOPD group (AAO <50 years), the middle-onset PD (MOPD) group, and the LOPD group (AAO ≥70 years). Using various scales for motor symptoms (MS) and non-MS (NMS) and QoL, we compared the clinical features and impact on QoL.

RESULTS

Of the 132 enrolled patients, 26 were in the YOPD group, 74 in the MOPD group, and 32 in the LOPD group. Among parkinsonian symptoms, patients in the LOPD group had a lower score on the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment than the other groups. Logistic regression analysis showed genitourinary symptoms were related to the LOPD group. Linear regression analysis showed both MS and NMS were correlated with QoL in the MOPD group, but only NMS were correlated with QoL in the LOPD group. Particularly, anxiety and fatigue affected QoL in the LOPD group.

CONCLUSION

LOPD patients showed different characteristic clinical features, and different symptoms were related with QoL for LOPD than YOPD and MOPD patients.