Session Information
Date: Monday, June 20, 2016
Session Title: Quality of life/caregiver burden in movement disorders
Session Time: 12:30pm-2:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall located in Hall B, Level 2
Objective: To investigate the effect of gender difference on health-related quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Background: PD has a negative impact on health-related quality of life in its sufferers. Previous studies have thoroughly investigated the clinical determinants of health-related quality of life, such as age, disease severity, motor and non-motor symptoms, in patients with PD. These studies have indicated that health-related quality of life is most affected by depression, cognitive impairment, coping strategies, dyskinesia, gait disorders and complications of dopaminergic drugs. Other factors such as gender can also affect health-related quality of life in PD.
Methods: Seventy-seven consecutive patients with PD (48% female) were included in this cross-sectional study. Health-related quality of life was evaluated with the 8-Item Parkinson’s disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8) (as a disease-specific measure of health-related quality of life) and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) (as a generic measure). Demographic and clinical characteristics, such as age, body mass index, disease duration and stage, determined with Hoehn &Yahr scale, were also investigated.
Results: Age, body mass index, disease duration, and Hoehn &Yahr stage were similar in female and male patients (p>0.05). This indicates that the groups were similar in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics. There was no significant difference in PDQ-8 and mental component score of SF-36 (p>0.05). On the other hand, physical component score of SF-36 was significantly lower in female patients (p<0.05).
Conclusions: This study indicates that physical health-related quality of life was more affected in female patients with PD than males. Therefore, strategies to improve and/or maintain physical functioning should be much more focused on female patients in the management of PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
B. Donmez Colakoglu, T. Kahraman, E. Goz, F. Soke, A. Genc, P. Keskinoglu. A comparison study of health-related quality of life between female and male patients with Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2016; 31 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/a-comparison-study-of-health-related-quality-of-life-between-female-and-male-patients-with-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed July 12, 2025.« Back to 2016 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/a-comparison-study-of-health-related-quality-of-life-between-female-and-male-patients-with-parkinsons-disease/