Impact of major earthquakes on Parkinson's disease

The necessity to improve disaster preparedness among patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their families

Disaster preparation is an important issue for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have investigated disaster preparedness among patients with ALS. In this study, we aimed to investigate disaster preparation in patients with ALS and their caregivers, including their families, in Japan. We conducted a nationwide webinar in September 2022 titled "ALS Café" and distributed a self-report questionnaire to participants with questions about awareness of disaster preparedness, social countermeasures, stockpiles, and electricity demand. Forty-eight patients with ALS (27 male; average age 60.0 ± 9.3 years) and 23 caregivers (8 male; 55.7 ± 9.9 years) responded. The median revised ALS Functional Rating Scale score was 30.5, and 25% of the patients with ALS were on a ventilator. More than 70% of the respondents answered that they were not prepared for disasters, increasing to 89% in patients not using ventilators. In the event of their phones being down, 86% of the respondents had no plans for alternative means of communication. <30% of the respondents, including ventilator users, had secured human resources for transportation. Twenty-five percent of the respondents did not stockpile food and beverages, and 12% of the ventilator users had no government-recommended ventilator preparation equipment. Thus, although patients with ALS and their families with ventilators have a high awareness of disaster preparedness, their awareness remains insufficient. Furthermore, patients with ALS and their families without ventilators have a low awareness of disaster preparedness. Therefore, better education regarding disaster preparedness is necessary for these groups.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Quality of Life of Patients with Parkinson's Disease and Their Caregivers: A Single-Center Survey in Tochigi Prefecture

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of the general population.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the determinants of quality of life (QOL) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Impacts of lifestyle changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic on 100 patients with PD and their caregivers/spouses were assessed. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to assess anxiety and depression. The physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores of the short form (SF)-8 were used to evaluate health-related QOL.

RESULTS

Regarding health-related QOL, physical function, role physical, general health, vitality and the PCS score were significantly worse in PD patients than in caregivers. Worsening of PD-related symptoms, increased stress, and decreased physical activity were observed in 29.0%, 37.0% and 44.0% of PD patients, respectively. Sixteen patients (16.0%) experienced problems with hospital access, but none reported medication shortages. Strong concerns about COVID-19 were reported by 47.0% of caregivers and 50.0% of PD patients. In PD patients, increased gait disturbance and rigidity, disease severity, smoking, the levodopa equivalent dose and decreased body weight predicted a worse PCS score; anxiety, depression, female sex, stress and long disease duration predicted a worse MCS score. In caregivers, age and smoking contributed to a worse PCS score; depression, stress and worsening patient mood contributed to a worse MCS score.

CONCLUSION

We report the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health-related QOL and its determinants in PD patients and their caregivers.

[Role of the liaison officer in disaster countermeasures implemented by the Japanese Society of Neurology: Hope for the best and prepare for the worst]

Disaster countermeasures have been implemented by the Japanese Society of Neurology based on the experience of support to the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. The countermeasures activity began at the end of 2011. We, the Committee for Measures Against Disaster, officially started work in 2014. We developed a support network to urgently deal with patients with intractable neurological disease at the time of disaster and strengthen disaster measures, including effective disaster countermeasure training. During the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, we realized the need to prepare for natural disasters, leading to a state of emergency, at normal times. A list of vulnerable people should be prepared and the individual support plan for disaster should be confirmed during normal times. Furthermore, during disaster, livelihood support is required for patients with intractable neurological disease living in evacuation centers in affected areas. Therefore, we compiled and published the book, titled "The manual of disaster countermeasures," in 2017. The Committee for Measures Against Disaster in the Japanese Society of Neurology has appointed a liaison officer for patients with intractable neurological disease in each prefecture. The liaison's role of is gathering and disseminating information on the disaster-hit areas, arranging medical support, and coordinating health activities, when natural disasters occur. It is hoped that the liaison officer will play an active role both at normal times and during disaster, even unforeseen ones. Although we hope for the best, we aim to be prepared for the worst.

Management of Advanced Therapies in Parkinson's Disease Patients in Times of Humanitarian Crisis: The COVID-19 Experience

Background

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting a relatively small proportion of the global population, its effects have already reached everyone. The pandemic has the potential to differentially disadvantage chronically ill patients, including those with Parkinson's disease (PD). The first health care reaction has been to limit access to clinics and neurology wards to preserve fragile patients with PD from being infected. In some regions, the shortage of medical staff has also forced movement disorders neurologists to provide care for patients with COVID-19.

Objective

To share the experience of various movement disorder neurologists operating in different world regions and provide a common approach to patients with PD, with a focus on those already on advanced therapies, which may serve as guidance in the current pandemic and for emergency situations that we may face in the future.

Conclusion

Most of us were unprepared to deal with this condition given that in many health care systems, telemedicine has been only marginally available or only limited to email or telephone contacts. In addition, to ensure sufficient access to intensive care unit beds, most elective procedures (including deep brain stimulation or the initiation of infusion therapies) have been postponed. We all hope there will soon be a time when we will return to more regular hospital schedules. However, we should consider this crisis as an opportunity to change our approach and encourage our hospitals and health care systems to facilitate the remote management of chronic neurological patients, including those with advanced PD.