Association between nocturia and anxiety in Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine whether there exists any relationship between nocturia and anxiety in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Although the exact cause of anxiety and nocturia in PD is unknown, we hypothesized that there is a relationship between these two PD symptoms. Anxiety may exacerbate nocturia or an opposite relationship may be present in which nocturia may result in heightened levels of anxiety. METHODS: Our study consisted of 314 PD patients, selected at random, and divided into groups based on the presence or absence of anxiety and nocturia. The occurrence of anxiety and nocturia was studied individually and collectively within these groups. RESULTS: The study found a significant association between anxiety and nocturia primarily driven by all PD patients (P < 0.0001), with greater significance found for the male patients (P < 0.0001) than female patients (P = 0.021). DISCUSSION: Based on these findings, we can conclude that anxiety and nocturia are not entirely independent symptoms in all PD patients. Thus, addressing anxiety may improve nocturia in PD or vice versa.

Prevalence of nocturia in Parkinson's disease patients from various ethnicities.

OBJECTIVES: One of the most common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) is nocturia. This paper seeks to address the prevalence of nocturia in PD and correlate it to various factors such as gender, Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage, age, and ethnicities. METHODS: In particular, 332 PD patients were seen in a community movement disorders clinic and their charts were analyzed from 2005 to 2010. Within this population, more than one-third (34.9%) patients were diagnosed with nocturia. RESULTS: Age, gender, and PD stage were significant predictors of nocturia in PD. With every one-year increase in age, the odds of developing nocturia in PD increases by 3.1% while an increase in H&Y stage increases the odds of nocturia in PD by 1.645 times. Also, males had greater odds of experiencing nocturia in PD. Ethnicities alone were of no significant importance. However, after performing interaction analyses, Asian and Indian males, especially, were at significantly greater risk than other ethnicities. DISCUSSION: Future research is indeed required to understand why certain ethnicities are especially at risk. Clinicians must also be aware of the epidemiology of nocturia in PD to prevent and treat this debilitating symptom.