Objectives Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. It is now known that besides motor symptoms, PD also has a wide spectrum of non-motor symptoms (NMS) that may precede the onset of PD. Pain is an important NMS that significantly affects quality of life in PD and is understudied. The primary objective of this study was to characterise the clinical profile of pain in patients with PD and to ascertain whether it correlates. Material and Methods Consecutive patients diagnosed with PD were prospectively recruited over a period of one year. Clinical and demographical data were collected. The King’s Parkinson’s disease pain scale (KPPS), the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (MDS-UPDRS) part3, the NMS questionnaire (NMSQ), the Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM-A), and the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) were used to assess all participants. Results In total, 115 patients were included in the study. Overall, 85.2% of the sample reported at least 1 type of pain. 50% of the study population was treatment-naive. The mean standard KPPS score was 30.84. Radicular and musculoskeletal pain were the most common and severe forms of pain. Females reported higher severity of pain, particularly for radicular and musculoskeletal pain. Significant correlations were noted between KPPS and UPDRS part3, KPPS and HAM-A, KPPS, and HDRS. No significant differences were noted between PD phenotypes and types of pain. Treatment may reduce nocturnal pain, though most pain domains showed no obvious treatment-related differences. Conclusion NMS, particularly pain, is an early manifestation of PD and can be significantly disabling even in the early stages. Pain is significantly associated with female sex, severity of motor symptoms, anxiety, and depression.
Pushpa et al. (Thu,) studied this question.