Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate results of using Parkinson’s Well-Being Map (WBM) in assessment of digestive and gut dysfunction in patients of Tomsk region.

Background: Dysfunction of digestive tract is a clinically significant non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD) that can significantly affect the quality of life. In current clinical practice using digestion-related questionnaires is not common.

Methods: Study group included 68 PD patients of mean age 69,5±8,6. Mean disease manifestation age was 63,2±8,6 with mean disease duration of 6,3±5,8. 36 patients (52,9%) had 2nd Hoehn and Yahr stage and 32 (47,1%) had 3rd stage. Mixed subtype was registered in 35 (51,5%) of cases, 16 (23,4%) patients had akinetic-rigid subtype, tremor-dominant subtype was observed in 17 (25,0%). Assessment of motor and nonmotor PD symptoms was performed using WBM – visual map that helps patients evaluate their motor and non-motor symptoms in a simple and effective manner. All symptoms are arranged in 8 groups that lie on 8 axes: mood, sleep disturbances, attention/memory, digestion and the gut, movement, pain, bladder and sexual function, other non-motor symptoms. Each group is rated 0-4 points based on the frequency of its symptoms, where rate the frequency of the most troublesome symptom by circling the most appropriate number on the 0-4 scale where: 0 – Never, 1 – Occasionally, 2 – Sometimes, 3 – Often, 4 – Always.

Results: Patients with tremor-dominant subtype had the highest score of 4 (always) in the digestion and gut category. Patients with akinetic-rigid subtype rated the frequency of digestion-related symptoms as “sometimes” or “often”. Patients of all groups had constipation, but in mixed subtype group it was more often associated with drooling and nausea or vomiting. Patients with Hoehn and Yahr 3rd stage had significantly higher frequency of all symptoms compared to patients with 2nd stage. Patients with 2nd stage more often had diarrhea, while constipation was more frequent in patients with 3rd stage.

Conclusions: WBM is a highly informative tool to assess frequency of non-motor symptoms of PD that can help to diagnose them early in the course of disease and provide specific measures to improve quality of life.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/application-of-parkinsons-well-being-map-to-assess-impairment-of-digestive-system-in-patients-of-tomsk-region-russia/