Pain in Parkinson’s Disease: Fluctuation and Impact on Quality of Life
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- Category: Vol. 93, March 2025
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Pain in Parkinson’s Disease: Fluctuation and Impact on Quality of Life, MAHMOUD MOHAMED ABDELHAMID MOHAMED, NAGLAA MOHAMED ELKHAYAT, SHAIMAA SAYED IBRAHIM, AYMAN HASSAN EL-SUDANY and ALIA H. MANSOUR
Abstract
Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, pro gressive neurodegenerative disorder known for its motor and non-motor symptoms. Among the non-motor symptoms, pain is highly prevalent, significantly affecting patients’ quality of life. Pain in PD can manifest in various forms, including mus culoskeletal, dystonic, and neuropathic pain. Despite its high prevalence, pain in PD is often under-recognized and under treated, necessitating further exploration of its characteristics and impact on quality of life. This study aims to assess the prev alence, types, and fluctuation of pain in PD patients and their relationship with motor and non-motor symptoms. Patients and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 40 PD patients at Movement Disorders clinic in Ain Shams University. Data collection included demographic characteristics, medical history, and evaluation using standard ized scales such as the King’s Parkinson’s Disease Pain Scale (KPPS), Movement Disorder Society–Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), and the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). The correlation between these scales and the severi ty of pain was analyzed. Results: The study revealed a statistically significant cor relation between KPPS and the wearing-off phenomenon (R=0.349, p=0.027), highlighting the association between motor fluctuations and pain severity. However, no significant correlations were found between KPPS and other scales like NMSS, Pittsburg Sleep Quality index (PSQI), MDS-UPDRS, or PDQ-39 summary index. Pain was highly prevalent among PD patients, with musculoskeletal and fluctuation-related pain being the most common types. Conclusion: Pain is a frequent and impactful non-motor symptom in Parkinson’s disease that substantially affects pa tients’ quality of life. The correlation between pain and motor fluctuations such as wearing off suggests that optimizing dopa- minergic therapy could help manage pain in PD. Further stud ies are recommended to explore the management strategies for pain in PD and its complex interaction with other non-motor symptoms.