Pain in Parkinson’s Disease: Fluctuation and Impact on Quality of Life | ||||
The Medical Journal of Cairo University | ||||
Volume 93, Issue 03, March 2025, Page 125-132 PDF (88.9 K) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/mjcu.2025.422942 | ||||
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Author | ||||
MAHMOUD MOHAMED ABDELHAMID MOHAMED, M.Sc.*; NAGLAA MOHAMED ELKHAYAT, M.D.**; SHAIMAA SAYED IBRAHIM, M.D.**; AYMAN HASSAN EL-SUDANY, M.D.** and ALIA H. MANSOUR, M.D.** | ||||
The Department of Neurology Mataria Teaching Hospital* and Neurology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University** | ||||
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. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Parkinson’s disease; Pain; Quality of life; Non-motor symptoms; Fluctuations | ||||
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