Objective: To evaluate the impact of Diabetes Mellitus on the clinical characteristics and symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, and both its motor and non-motor symptoms have a significant impact on the patient’s quality of life. The relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and PD has been studied over the past decade in terms of disease progression, risk factor, and worsening of motor and non-motor symptoms. However, the findings regarding this relationship have been inconsistent.

Method: This was a cross-sectional study that included 40 participants, 20 in each group. We evaluated the demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants, and the motor and non-motor symptoms were assessed using the MDS-UPDRS, NMS, SCOPA-AUT, MoCA, BDI, and PDQ-39 scales. Statistical analysis was performed using the Shapiro Wilks test, t-student, U Mann Whitney, and Fisher’s exact test.

Results: The study included 23 men and 17 women, with a mean age of 66.6 SD 8.96 years, and a mean duration of PD of 65.1 SD 37 months. The mean daily levodopa dose was 916.1 SD 343 mg, and the most frequent motor pattern was postural instability and gait disturbance (40%). The study showed a significant difference between the PD-nonDM and PD-DM groups in the motor characteristics sub-score of postural instability and gait disturbance (p=0.043). Non-motor characteristics showed a significant difference in the SCOPA-AUT score (p=0.026), NMSS urinary function domain (p=0.003), and Beck Depression Inventory score (p=0.012). In the quality-of-life domain, a significant difference was found in the domains of mobility (p=0.048) and emotion (p=0.01).

Conclusion: The study findings suggest that DM impacts postural instability and gait disturbance, dysautonomic symptoms, and the Beck depression score in PD patients. Identifying the impact of DM on PD patients can aid in early diagnosis and better management of the disease. Further studies are needed to investigate the potential therapeutic options for PD patients with DM comorbidity. These findings have important implications for the clinical management and care of PD patients, as well as for public health policies related to the prevention and management of DM and PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-impact-of-diabetes-mellitus-on-motor-and-non-motor-symptoms-of-parkinsons-disease-a-cross-sectional-study/