The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Disease Severity and Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease

Background: The challenges being faced during the lockdown period may worsen motor or non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective: This study was undertaken to investigate the impact of lockdown on the disease activity, caregiver perceptions and the quality of life of patients with PD. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June till September 2020. Sixty-four patients with PD and caregivers were interviewed telephonically after obtaining consent. The responses were recorded by means of a structured questionnaire. Non-motor symptoms scale (NMSS) and the Parkinson Disease Questinnaire-8 (PDQ-8) were applied. PDQ-8 severity index (PDQ-8 SI) scores were expressed as percentage of the raw PDQ-8 score of the total score. Data were analsyed by using SPSS version 20.0. Results: Of 64 patients, 39 (60.9%) were men and 25 (39.1%) were women. The overall median age of the patients was 65 (55.25-69.75) years. The median duration was 48 (30-84) months. Twenty-six (40.6%) patients reported symptomatic worsening during the lockdown period. Slowness in activities of daily living and walking worsened in 15 (57.7%) and 14 (53.8%) patients, respectively, while tremors increased in 12 (46.2%) patients. Mood and sleep disturbances were the most common non-motor symptoms to worsen. Increase in non-motor symptoms and the NMSS total score were independent predictors of PDQ-8 scores. Increase in non-motor symptoms during the lockdown was an independent predictor of the highest quartile of PDQ-8 SI scores. Conclusions: Motor and non-motor symptoms have worsened in patients with PD during the lockdown. The increase in non-motor symptoms was independently associated with poorer quality of life among patients with PD during the lockdown.