Category: Parkinson's Disease: Non-Motor Symptoms
Objective: This is a cross-sectional pilot study aiming to examine: (1) the relationship of fatigue and pain with functional mobility, fear of falling (FOF), and falls in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD), (2) differences in fatigue and pain between PD fallers and non-fallers, and (3) distinguishing PD fallers from non-fallers using fatigue and pain cut-off scores.
Background: Falls and recurring falls are highly prevalent among individuals with PD. Previous studies have identified the motor factors associated with falls, however, the impact of non-motor factors including fatigue, pain, and FOF on falls is still unclear.
Method: Fifty-three PD patients were assessed for fall history over the previous 12 months, functional mobility using the Short Physical Performance Battery, FOF using the Falls Efficacy Scale International, pain using the King’s PD Pain Scale, and fatigue using the Arabic version of the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale. Severity of PD motor symptoms was assessed using the MDS – UPDRS Part III. All clinical data and outcome measures were collected during the “ON” condition. Participants were divided into fallers (2 or more falls in the past 12 months) or non-fallers (no or one fall in the past 12 months).
Results: Both fatigue and pain are associated with functional mobility and FOF (p ≤ 0.002), however, after adjusting for age, sex, disease motor severity, and daily dose of L-dopa, the association with functional mobility was no longer significant. We found group differences in fatigue and pain between fallers and non-fallers (p < 0.5). Fatigue, as measured by the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, could distinguish fallers from non-fallers with a cut-off score of 43.5 (AUC = 0.81, p < 0.0001).
Conclusion: FOF was significantly associated with both fatigue and pain in individuals with PD. Also, fatigue severity was capable of distinguishing fallers from non-fallers. By addressing symptoms of fatigue and pain early in treatment, we may be able to preemptively slow the development of FOF and decrease falls in individuals with PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
N. Alissa, H. Khalil, A. Al-Sharman, I. E'Leimat, M. Al-Qawasmeh, K. El-Salem. The impact of fatigue and pain on functional mobility, fear of falling, and falls in Individuals with Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2021; 36 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-impact-of-fatigue-and-pain-on-functional-mobility-fear-of-falling-and-falls-in-individuals-with-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed November 21, 2024.« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2021
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-impact-of-fatigue-and-pain-on-functional-mobility-fear-of-falling-and-falls-in-individuals-with-parkinsons-disease/