Pain characteristics of Parkinson's disease using validated Arabic versions of the King's Parkinson's Disease Pain Scale and Questionnaire: A Multicenter Egyptian Study.

Objective: Pain is one of the most common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), with variable characteristics among populations. This multicenter Egyptian study aimed to translate and validate the King's Parkinson's Disease Pain Scale (KPPS) and questionnaire (KPPQ) into Arabic versions and to investigate the pain characteristics in Egyptian people with PD (PWP). Methods: 192 PWP and 100 sex and age-matched controls were evaluated by KPPS-Arabic and KPPQ-Arabic. Both tools were assessed for test-retest reliability, floor or ceiling effects, construct validity and convert validity. PWP were assessed also by MDS-UPDRS, Hoehn and Yahr, NMSS, PD Questionnaire-39, and the Non-Motor Fluctuation Assessment (NoMoFA). Results: KPPS-Arabic and KPPQ-Arabic showed inter and intra-rater consistency and high validity, with an acceptable ceiling effect. 188 PWP (97.9%) reported at least 1 type of pain, (p<0.001). The severity and prevalence of KPPS-Arabic domains were significantly higher in all pain domains among PWP compared to controls (p < 0.001). Fluctuation-related and musculoskeletal pains were the most common (81.3% and 80.7%, respectively). In the PD group, the total and domains of KPPS-Arabic were significantly correlated to the MDS-UPDRS total, parts I, II, III, PIGD, axial, and H &Y scores, but not age or age of onset. Predictors of KPPS-Arabic included the total MDS-UPDRS, part III-Off, disease duration, total NMSS, and NoMoFA. Conclusion: The current multicentre study provided a validated Arabic versions of KPPS and KPPQ, with high reliability and validity, and demonstrated a high prevalence and severity of pain within Egyptian PWP and characterized its determinants.

K-variant BCHE and pesticide exposure: Gene-environment interactions in a case-control study of Parkinson's disease in Egypt.

Pesticide exposure is associated with increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated in Egypt whether common variants in genes involved in pesticide detoxification or transport might modify the risk of PD evoked by pesticide exposure. We recruited 416 PD patients and 445 controls. Information on environmental factors was collected by questionnaire-based structured interviews. Candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 15 pesticide-related genes were genotyped. We analyzed the influence of environmental factors and SNPs as well as the interaction of pesticide exposure and SNPs on the risk of PD. The risk of PD was reduced by coffee consumption [OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.43-0.90, P = 0.013] and increased by pesticide exposure [OR = 7.09, 95% CI: 1.12-44.01, P = 0.036]. The SNP rs1126680 in the butyrylcholinesterase gene BCHE reduced the risk of PD irrespective of pesticide exposure [OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.20-0.70, P = 0.002]. The SNP rs1803274, defining K-variant BCHE, interacted significantly with pesticide exposure (P = 0.007) and increased the risk of PD only in pesticide-exposed individuals [OR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.50-4.19, P = 0.0005]. The K-variant BCHE reduces serum activity of butyrylcholinesterase, a known bioscavenger for pesticides. Individuals with K-variant BCHE appear to have an increased risk for PD when exposed to pesticides.

Sleep disturbances in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients: a clinical and polysomnographic study.

BACKGROUND: Disordered sleep breathing is a common complication of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) manifested by excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headache, morning dizziness, cognitive decline, and mood changes. METHODS: This study was performed on 30 non-obese type 2 diabetic patients; 20 with clinically evident DPN and 10 without. Ten age-, sex-, and body mass index-matched healthy control subjects were also included. Patients and control were subjected to history taking, neurological examination, glycated hemoglobin, and clinical assessment of the sensori-motor manifestations by the neuropathy symptom score and neuropathy disability score. The autonomic nervous system was evaluated clinically by the systolic blood pressure response to standing and heart rate response to each of standing, Valsalva, and deep breath. Finally, sleep was assessed by one-night polysomnogram (PSG) followed by multiple sleep latency test in the next day. RESULTS: The study showed significant increase in sleep apnea syndromes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients compared to diabetic neuropathy free patients and healthy control (p < 0.0001). The sleep apnea was mainly obstructive and to a little extent mixed (obstructive/central) sleep apnea. The severity of sleep PSG abnormalities was positively correlated with the severities of sensory, motor, and autonomic manifestations. CONCLUSIONS: Non-obese type 2 diabetic patients complicated by peripheral neuropathy especially those having dysautonomia are at increased risk of developing sleep disordered breathing resulting in their excessive daytime sleepiness, decreased productivity, and poor glycemic control.