Objective: To investigate the association of pain in Parkinson’s disease (PD), including its clinical and descriptive subtypes, with anxiety, depression and sleep quality.

Background: Pain is a common non-motor manifestation in patients with PD. However, the association of pain in PD (along with its clinical and descriptive subtypes) with other PD-related non-motor comorbidites of anxiety, depression and sleep quality remain relatively unexplored.

Methods: A total of 74 PD and 74 age- and sex-matched normal controls (NC) were studied, cross-sectionally. Using the Brief Pain Inventory, participants were categorized into four groups based on their reports of pain: 1) PD with pain, 2) PD without pain, 3) NC with pain, and 4) NC without pain. The level of anxiety and depression, as well as the overall quality of sleep were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, respectively. Different clinical and descriptive types of pain, along with other relevant clinical variables were evaluated. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regressions and analysis of variance methods.

Results: Compared to PD without pain, PD with pain group exhibited a significantly greater level of anxiety, and poorer sleep quality on average; whereas, the severity of depression did not statistically differ between the groups. Compared to NC without pain, PD with pain group had greater pain severity, anxiety, depression and worse sleep quality [table1]. PD patients with pain also showed higher likelihood of reporting tension, sharp, and akathisic types of pain (compared to NC with pain), while these three pain types showed no association with each other. There was no difference in the level of depression, anxiety, or quality of sleep between PD patients who presented with tension, sharp and akathisic types of pain, versus those without [table2].

Conclusions: Pain in PD is associated with heightened anxiety and poorer sleep quality, and may also be characterized by specific subtypes of pain (i.e. akathisia, tension and sharp, as found in this study). Management of pain in PD may help improve anxiety and sleep quality.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/association-of-pain-in-parkinsons-disease-with-anxiety-depression-and-sleep-quality-a-cross-sectional-study/