Malnutrition and Associated Motor and Non-motor Factors in People with Parkinson's Disease

Background: People with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) are at higher risk of developing malnutrition. Several factors have been suggested to be involved including motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms, and treatment-related complications. Objective: The objective of the study was to analyze the combined effect of motor, non-motor, and pharmacological factors in the risk of malnutrition in PwP. Methods: Eighty-seven consecutive PwP were included in the study. Clinical data and pharmacological treatment were collected. Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire. Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), Non-motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale HAM-D, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment were applied. Results: Thirty (34.4%) PwP were at risk of malnutrition and seven had malnutrition (8%). Abnormal nutritional status was associated with lower education, higher MDS-UPDRS Parts I, II, and III and total scores, and higher scores in the NMSS domain of sleep disorders and fatigue. MDS-UPDRS motor score remained as a determinant of abnormal nutritional status, defined as MNA <23.5, with an odds ratio 1.1 (95% confidence interval 1.01-1.10, p = 0.02). Conclusion: The main factor associated with nutritional status was severity of the motor symptoms as assessed by the MDS-UPDRS Part III. Non-motor symptoms and treatment-related complications were not associated with malnutrition. (REV INVEST CLIN. 2020;72(5):293-9)

Pruebas Terapéuticas Con Fines Diagnósticos En Trastornos Del Movimiento / Therapeutic Tests For The Diagnosis Of Movement Disorders

Resumen El diagnóstico en medicina tiene su piedra angular en la obtención de la historia clínica y la exploración física; sin embargo, en algunas de las patologías el uso de pruebas diagnósticas es de gran utilidad como apoyo para confirmar o descartar una enfermedad. Las pruebas diagnósticas incluyen una amplia variedad de procedimientos y dentro de estas se incluyen las pruebas terapéuticas, también llamadas desafíos o retos, en los que se administra una sustancia activa para evaluar la respuesta y apoyar la impresión diagnóstica. En el contexto de los trastornos del movimiento las pruebas terapéuticas más frecuentemente utilizadas son la de levodopa, apomorfina y etanol. En esta revisión se presenta, describe y discute el alcance y utilidad de estas.

Abstract The diagnosis in medicine has its cornerstone in obtaining the clinical history and in the physical examination. However, in some of the pathologies the use of diagnostic tests is very useful as a support to confirm or rule out a disease. Diagnostic tests include a wide variety of procedures and these include therapeutic tests, also called challenges, in which an active substance is administered to evaluate the response and support the presumptive diagnosis. In the context of movement disorders, the most frequently used therapeutic tests are those with levodopa, apomorphine and ethanol. In this review we present, describe and discuss the scope and usefulness of these challenges.