Objective: Evaluate cathine and cathinone’s effect on alertness, energy, sleep pattern, and tremor among Parkinson’s disease patient.

Background: Khat , a plant that contains amphetamine like  stimulants called cathine and cathinone , is widely distributed and abused in east Africa and mainly in Ethiopia. It is a herb taken for its recreational value to increase alertness and boost Energy with less addictive influences.  Because of these characteristics, it is preferred over  Marijuana or Amphetamines among users. So far there is no data that shows any benefit or risk to patients with Parkinson’s disease while many patients with the disease use it for different purposes, including for improving their slow activities and low level of alertness.

Method: We recruited 120 age, sex , literacy level and functional status matched Parkinson’s disease patients from Black lion Hospital from January, 2018 to September, 2018 and identified 2 groups such as Khat users and non-user.  We then developed a questionnaire that address their symptoms and interviewed them to describe their experience with the herb on their alertness, energy, sleep pattern and tremor.

Results: Baseline characteristics like age, sex, literacy level and functional status were all comparable. Khat users were 53(44.16%) and non khat users were 67(55.8%). There was a satisfactory increased alertness and energy for activities among khat users (OD of 2.31, 95% CI 1.61-2.45) and a significant increment in tremor and sleep disturbance (OD of 1.24, 95% CI 0.93-1.45) compared to non khat users.

Conclusion: Amphetamine like substances like Cathine and cathinone in Khat improve Parkinson disease patient’s alerteness and energy for activities while worsening tremor and sleep. More studies are needed  to make use of this plant for alertness and energy without its side effects.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/impact-of-cathine-and-cathinone-use-among-parkinsons-disease-patients/