Clinical features and relative factors of constipation in a cohort of Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND: Constipation as a most common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), has a higher prevalence compared to the general population. The etiologies of constipation in PD are diverse. In addition to physical weakness and other factors of disease, the lifestyles and eating habits are also important factors. Therefore, the prevalence and influencing factors of constipation may vary among different populations. AIM: To determine the prevalence of constipation and analyze relative factors in a cohort of Chinese patients with PD. METHODS: All the patients diagnosed with PD according to the movement disorders society criteria were consecutively collected by a self-developed questionnaire. Rome III diagnostic criteria were used to assess functional constipation and Wexner score was used to estimate the severity of constipation. Non-motor symptoms (NMS) were assessed with the non-motor symptoms assessment scale (NMSS). Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale III (UPDRS III) was used to evaluate the severity of motor symptoms. The modified Hoehn-Yahr stage was used to evaluate the severity of PD. Cognitive function was assessed using Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA). Depression and anxiety were rated with the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) and the Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA). Quality of life was assessed using the Parkinson's disease Questionnaire-39 items (PDQ-39). CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that constipation has a relatively high frequency in patients with PD. PD patients with constipation have a higher incidence of depression, which leads to worse quality of life.