The clinical and neuroimaging differences between vascular parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) and vascular parkinsonism (VaP) have highly overlapping phenotypes, and different prognosis. This study comprehensively investigated the clinical, brain MRI and transcranial sonography differences between VaP and PD. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with PD, 27 patients with VaP, and 29 healthy controls were compared. All patients were assessed using the MDS-UPDRS, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Ten-Meter Walking Test (10-MWT), Time Up and Go Test, and Non-Motor Symptoms Scale. Beck Depression Inventory, PD questionnaire- 39, international urine incontinence scale, cognitive assessment scales, MRI brain and transcranial colour-coded doppler. The study was registered on clinical-Trial.gov (NCT04308135) on 03/12/2020. RESULTS: VaP patients showed significantly older age of onset, shorter disease duration, lower drug doses and levodopa responsiveness, higher On and Off axial scores, On and Off BBS, higher On scores for PIGD, rigidity, bradykinesia and total motor MDS-UPDRS, lower On and Off tremor, lower-half predominance, lower asymmetrical presentation and symmetric index than PD patients. VaP patients had worse non-motor symptoms Scale (NMSS) than controls except for perceptual problems/hallucinations but better symptoms than PD patients except for urinary dysfunction. Quality of life (QoL) was impaired in VaP patients and was correlated with motor function and NMSs. The VaP group had significantly higher white matter lesions and brain atrophy, with lower hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra and more impaired cerebral vascular resistance and vasoreactivity than the PD group. CONCLUSIONS: VaP has a characteristic motor and non-motor profile, with impaired QoL, white matter, and transcranial sonography abnormalities that differentiate it from PD. Further studies are warranted to explore the role of vascular lesions in the pathogenesis of VaP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The registered identifier NCT04308135 on clinical-Trial.gov. Registered on 03/12/2020.

A 6-month longitudinal study on worsening of Parkinson's disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Further studies are required to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Parkinson's disease (PD) progression. This study investigated the motor and non-motor progression of people with PD (PWP) at 6 months during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with that during the pre-pandemic period. Patients were recruited from Ain Shams University Hospitals, Cairo, in the period between April 2019 and December 2020. Fifty patients were included, of whom 17 and 33 patients were followed for 6 months before and during the pandemic, respectively. All patients were assessed at baseline and at 6 months using the MDS-UPDRS, Schwab and England scale (S&E), Hoehn and Yahr scale (H&Y), Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go test (TUG), International Physical Activity Questionnaire, New Freezing of Gait Questionnaire, Non-Motor Symptoms Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Both groups were matched in age, gender, and disease characteristics. Patients followed during the pandemic showed more significant worsening of the total, part I and motor part of MDS-UPDRS, and balance scores (p < 0.001) than those followed during the pre-COVID-19 period. Gait (TUG), balance, and physical activity worsening were significantly correlated with baseline BDI, gait and balance scores, total and part I MDS-UPDRS scores, H&Y, and S&E OFF scores. Gait deterioration (TUG) was correlated with baseline physical activity (r = -0.510, p = 0.002). PWP showed worsening of motor and non-motor symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic at the 6-month follow-up. Worsening of gait, balance, and physical activity was correlated with baseline motor and physical activity OFF scores.

Baseline predictors of progression of Parkinson's disease in a sample of Egyptian patients: clinical and biochemical.

BACKGROUND: Clinical progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) is highly heterogeneous, and its predictors are generally lacking. Identifying predictors of early disease progression is important for patients' management and follow-up. The current study aims to identify clinical, neuroimaging and biochemical baseline predictors of motor progression in patients with PD. Forty-five PD patients were assessed at baseline, 6 months and 1 year using MDS-UPDRS total and subscores, Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y), Schwab and England (S&E), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Baseline New Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (NFOG-Q), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Ten-Meter Walking Test (10-MWT), and Time Up and Go Test (TUG), Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), PD questionnaire 39 (PDQ-39), MRI brain, uric acid, lipid profile and glycated hemoglobin were performed. RESULTS: Significant worsening of MDS-UPDRS total, part III scores, H&Y, S&E and IPAQ (p < 0.001) was detected. One-year progression of H&Y and S&E were significantly correlated to disease duration (p = 0.014, p = 0.025, respectively). Progression of H&Y was correlated to baseline TUG (p = 0.035). S&E progression was correlated to baseline MDS-UPDRS total score (rho = 0.478, p = 0.001) and part III (rho = 0.350, p = 0.020), H&Y (rho = 0.401, p = 0.007), PIGD (rho = 0.591, p < 0.001), NFOG-Q (rho = 0.498, p = 0.001), and TUG (rho = 0.565, p = 0.001). Using linear regression, there was no predictors of clinical progression among the used baseline variables. CONCLUSION: Despite the significant motor and physical activity progression over 1 year that was correlated to baseline motor and gait severity, but without predictive value, further similar and longitudinal studies are warranted to detect predictors of early progression and confirm findings. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41983-022-00445-1.