Non-motor symptoms (NMS) are common in Parkinson’s disease (PD). They contribute significantly to changes in patients’ quality of life (QOL). To assess the impact of NMS on the QOL of patients with PD in Senegal. We conducted a cross-sectional study from January to August 2024. All patients who met the diagnostic criteria for PD and were followed up in the neurology department at the Pikine National Hospital Center were included. NMS were assessed using the Movement Disorders Society-Non-motor Symptoms Scale (MDS-NMS), while QOL was assessed using the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). The Hoehn and Yahr scale was used to determine the disease stage for each patient. The student’s t-test was used to compare quantitative variables, and linear regression was used to identify predictive factors for poor QOL. A total of 52 patients with PD were enrolled. The mean age was 64.6 ± 10 years. The mean MDS-NMS score was 61.8 ± 30.48. The most prevalent NMS were sleep disturbance (98%), constipation (84.6%), and pain (84.6%). The mean PDQ-39 index was 23.45 ± 12.5%. The most affected domains for the QOL were mobility and activities of daily living. There was a significant correlation between the MDS-NMS score and the PDQ-39 index (β = 0.448; P = 0.001). In addition, depression (β = 0.398; P = 0.043) and cognitive impairment (β = 0.355; P = 0.046) were predictive of poor QOL. Patients presenting with depression ( p = 0.000), fatigue ( p = 0.018), urinary urgency ( p = 0.03), and hypersalivation ( p = 0.003) had a significantly worse QOL than those who did not. In our cohort, non-motor symptoms, particularly depression and cognitive impairment, were significantly associated with poorer quality of life. Although the confounding effect of motor symptoms was not fully assessed, motor severity, assessed by the Hoehn and Yahr stage, also contributed substantially.
Mondomobe et al. (Wed,) studied this question.