Abstract:

Objective To investigate the prevalence of fatigue symptom with cross-sectional survey, and analyse its risk factors in patients with Parkinson´s disease (PD). Methods Fatigue symptom was measured by Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) in 234 non-dementia patients with PD, who were divided into fatigue group and non-fatigue group. All patients were assessed by the Unified Parkinson´s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) stage, Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Hamilton Depression Scale (HDRS)-17, Parkinson´s Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) and Parkinson´s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the independent risk factors of fatigue in patients with PD. Results One hundred patients (42.7%) had fatigue symptom (FSS>4), and 67 patients (34.9%) without major depression or sleep disturbance also reported fatigue. Patients in fatigue group had significantly higher score of the PDQ-39 summary index (PDQ-39SI) than those in non-fatigue group (Z=-8.066, P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis indicated that HDRS score (OR=1.105, P=0.001) and PDSS score (OR=0.967, P=0.000) were independent risk factors of fatigue in patients with PD. Conclusion Fatigue is a common symptom and intrinsic characteristic of patients with PD, which is closely related to the impaired quality of life. Control of depression and sleep disturbance may decrease the fatigue in patients with PD.

Key words: Parkinson´s disease, fatigue, depression, sleep disturbance