Autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson's disease: A prospective cohort study

Document Type

Article

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Dysautonomia is a frequent and disabling complication of PD, with an estimated prevalence of 30-40% and a significant impact on the quality of life. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the rate of progression of dysautonomia and, in particular, orthostatic hypotension, in a cohort of unselected PD patients, and assess the extent to which the progression of dysautonomia affects activities of daily living, health-related quality of life, and health care utilization in PD. METHODS: We recruited 131 consecutive patients into a 12-month, prospective, observational cohort study. Clinical measures included the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society/UPDRS, the Scale for Outcomes in Parkinson Disease-Autonomic, the Orthostatic Hypotension Symptoms Assessment, and orthostatic blood pressure measurements. Health care utilization was quantified as the number of hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and outpatient clinic evaluations. RESULTS: The overall severity of autonomic symptoms, as measured by the the Orthostatic Hypotension Symptoms Assessment total score, worsened by 20% over 12 months (P < 0.001), with an overall increase in orthostatic hypotension prevalence from 31.1% to 46.7% (P < 0.001). Worsening of autonomic symptoms was independently associated with deterioration in daily living activities (P = 0.021) and health-related quality of life (P = 0.025) adjusting for disease duration, cognitive impairment, and motor severity. Regardless of symptomatic status, orthostatic hypotension was associated with greater deterioration in daily living activities, health care utilization, and falls (P ≤ 0.009) compared to patients without orthostatic hypotension. CONCLUSIONS: The severity of autonomic symptoms progressed by 20% over 1 year and was independently associated with impairments in daily living activities and health-related quality of life. Symptomatic and asymptomatic orthostatic hypotension were both associated with increased prevalence of falls and health care utilization. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Medical Subject Headings

Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases (etiology); Blood Pressure (physiology); Cohort Studies; Disease Progression; Female; Heart Rate (physiology); Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motor Activity (physiology); Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Parkinson Disease (complications, psychology); Quality of Life (psychology)

Publication Date

3-1-2018

Publication Title

Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society

E-ISSN

1531-8257

Volume

33

Issue

3

First Page

391

Last Page

397

PubMed ID

29278286

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1002/mds.27268

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