Objective: The present study aimed at characterising in depth the overall clinical profile of male and females PD patients.

Background: Parkinson Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. Over the years several studies have reported gender differences in the clinical profile at onset, rate of progression of cognitive impairments, presence of specific motor symptoms, rate of quality of life, and treatment [1]. However, the mechanisms behind these differences, as well as their evolution over time are not entirely clear [1]. The importance of understanding and investigating these differences in depth is paramount to provide better care, to understand in depth how PD develops, and to provide a more personalised and effective care to all patients.

Method: Data from 731 PD patients was utilized in the current study. Clinical data from these patients was collected during routine clinical examinations carried out to assess the presence and progression of PD symptoms (both motor and non-motor).

A series of non-parametric Mann-Whitney test were conducted to assess the presence of gender differences in any of the clinical-motor and cognitive variables as well as well-being and quality of life.

Results: Preliminary results showed statistically significant differences between males and females patients in the ADL scale (z(730)=-2.02, p<0.05), with females appeared to have lower scores than males , and in the PDQ-8 scores (z(730)=-3.49, p<0.001), in which females appeared to have higher scores than males. A significant difference was also found for the type of treatment, the results showed that females were found to use apomorphine more often than males (z(730)=-1.97, p<0.05). No differences were found in global cognitive status or dementia rate between the two groups.

Conclusion: Our study shows that females have a much more complex clinical PD phenotype with worse baseline autonomy, worse overall quality of life, and need to utilise apomorphine pumps more often than males. Of note, the lack of differences in cognitive profiles between the two subgroups minimize influence of mental dysfunctions in the observed female clinical outcome.

References: [1] Russillo et al., 2022. Brain Sci., 12, 917.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/an-analysis-of-gender-differences-in-the-clinical-profile-of-parkinsons-disease-patients/