The impact of motor and depressive symptoms on quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease

Jiin-Ling Jiang^{a, b}, Sheng-Tzung Tsai^{c, d, e}, Tsung-Cheng Hsieh^b, Chi-Wei Lee^{c, e}, Sheng-Huang Lin^f, Shin-Yuan Chen^{c, d, e}

^a Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
^b Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
^c Department of Neurosurgery, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital and Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
^d Parkinson's Clinical and Research Center, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
^e Division of Functional Neuroscience, Neuro-Medical Scientific Center, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
^f Department of Neurology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital and Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan

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Abstract
Objective

To identify factors that affect the quality of life (QoL) of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD).

Materials and Methods

Twenty-seven IPD patients from Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital were enrolled between May, 2008 and July, 2012. All patients completed a Parkinson's disease-specific QoL questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). A structured questionnaire interview and complete neurological examination, including the motor part of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS part III), the Schwab and England Disability Scale (S & E), the Hoehn and Yahr Scale, and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were administered by a nurse and a neurologist.

Results

The degree of depression and severity of disease were significantly correlated with the QoL of IPD patients (r = 0.49, p = 0.01, and r = 0.44, p = 0.02, respectively). The UPDRS part III, S & E, and MMSE scores did not correlate significantly with QoL scores (r = 0.22, p = 0.26, r = −0.36, p = 0.06, and r = −0.25, p = 0.22, respectively). The BDI-Ⅱdepression score accounted for 31.5% of the variance of the QoL scores.

Conclusion

Depression and disease severity have significant impacts on the QoL of IPD patients. Treatment profiles should encompass both motor and non-motor domains.

Keywords
Depression; Parkinson's disease; Quality of life