Parkinson's Disease: Some Clinical Observation Based on the Study of 93 Patients Seen at the Yonsei University Medical Center

ABSTRACT

Between 198O and 1985, 93 patients with Parkinson's disease (paralysls agitans) were seen and examined prior to the initiation of medication. Forty-four of them were men and 49 of them women. Their ages ranged from 32 to 86 years (mean, 56.7 years), with the peak incidence in the seventh decade. The initial symptoms were tremor (67.7%), gait disturbance (16.1%), stiffness (15.1%), back pain, and weakness. Durations of illness until final diagnosis ranged from 2 months to 8 years (mean, 1.5 years). The most frequent signs at first examination were rigidity (95.7%), masked face (94.4%), tremor (89.2%), bradykinesia (87.1%), festinating gait (81.2%) grabella sign, stooped posture, and low voice. No marked dementia was seen in this study, and mild mental change was present in only 7 patients (7.5%). According to the modified Hoehn and Yahr's classification, 13 patients were in stage I, 31 in stage II, 28 in stage III, 13 in stage IV, and 8 in stage V. The more advanced stages were associated with a longer duration of the disease. Fifteen (16.1%) had coexisting disease: 11, hypertension; 3, diabetes mellitus; 2, stroke; and 1, malignant neoplasm. All patients but one responded initially to levodopa (Sinemet).