Objective: To determine the impact of extended quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic in PD patients.

Background: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, various types of social distancing were implemented. In Argentina, these sanitary measures were extended for more than 200 days. In our country the lockdown was strict and restricted the access to healthcare.  The suspension of physical activity or rehabilitation can be associated with a clinical worsening in patients with PD. In addition, symptoms of anxiety and depression are frequent in patients with PD, both with a negative impact on quality of life (QL), and on the self-perception of their health status. For all this, motor or non-motor symptoms could be worse.

Method: A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted.  The patients completed a survey in Google Forms format. Anxiety, depression, sleep quality, QL and questions about worsening or new associated motor and non-motor symptoms were performed. All data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 23 software (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA).

Results: 38 patients were included, mean age 65 years (SD 8.7). 57.9%(N = 22) were men. The average time from the start of quarantine to data collection was 174.5 days (SD 55.2), 55% presented anxiety and 42% depression, which was associated with poor sleep quality(71,1%) p <0.05. 55.35% reported self-perception worsening during the pandemic (stiffness 44.7%, 50% slowness, 26.3% tremor, 23.7% fatigue, 47.4% anxiety, 31.6% depression, 26.3% sleep, 15.8% appetite, 31.6% pain), which was related to depression (p <0.05).
Depression was associated with decline of motor symptoms, appetite, fatigue and pain (p <0.05). 81.6% reduced physical activity, which was associated with worsening pain (p <0.05).  15.8% had not taken medication during the quarantine. The self-perception worsening was related to poorer quality of life p <0.05.

Conclusion: The real impact of COVID-19 pandemic on PD patients is uncertain; our data suggest that long lockdown was associated with worsening of self-perception of health status in PD patients, probably due to multiple causes like increase of depression and anxiety, lack of physical activity or discontinuation of treatment among others.

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