The probable REM sleep behavior disorder negatively affects health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease with bilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulation

The Relationship Between Religious Coping, Spirituality, and Disease Self-Management Among Parkinson's Patients in Turkey

Religion and spirituality can be important motivational tools in the management of Parkinson's disease. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between religious coping methods, spirituality, and disease self-management levels in Parkinson's patients. This descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted with 294 Parkinson's patients. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficient, and structural equation modeling were used in the analysis of the data. This study showed that Parkinson's patients adopted both positive and negative religious coping styles, demonstrated good levels of spirituality, and had high levels of disease self-management. A statistically significant relationship was found between the positive and negative religious coping levels of Parkinson's patients and their levels of spirituality and disease self-management (p < 0.05). Health professionals may consider and support Parkinson's patients' use of religion as a coping mechanism, as this may help manage Parkinson's disease.

REM Behavior Disorder: Implications for PD Therapeutics

PURPOSE

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia that occurs during REM sleep, characterized by REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) and dream enactment behavior (DEB). RBD is associated with several diseases and medications but most notably is a prodromal feature of synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease (PD). This article reviews RBD, its treatments, and implications for PD therapeutics.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent research recognizes RBD as a prodromal marker of PD, resulting in expansion of basic science and clinical investigations of RBD. Current basic science research investigates the pathophysiology of RBD and explores animal models to allow therapeutic development. Clinical research has focused on natural history observation, as well as potential RBD treatments and their impact on sleep and phenoconversion to neurodegenerative disease. RBD serves as a fresh access point to develop both neuroprotective and symptomatic therapies in PD. These types of investigations are novel and will benefit from the more established basic science infrastructure to develop new interventions.

Quality of life in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies

BACKGROUND

Studies regarding the impact of Parkinson's disease (PD) on quality of life (QOL) have reported conflicting results, and the underlying QOL domains require further study. In order to understand the association between PD and QOL, we conducted this meta-analysis to systematically compare QOL between PD patients and healthy controls.

METHOD

The PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched. Data were analyzed using the random-effects model.

RESULTS

Twenty studies covering 2707 PD patients and 150,661 healthy controls were included in the study. Compared with healthy controls, PD patients had significantly poorer QOL overall and in most domains with moderate to large effects sizes. Different QOL measures varied in their association with quality of life, with the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) having the largest effect size (standard mean difference, SMD = -1.384, 95% CI: -1.607, -1.162, Z = 12.189, P < 0.001), followed by the Europe Quality of Life Questionnaire-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) (SMD = -1.081, 95% CI: -1.578, -0.584, Z = -4.265, P < 0.001), Europe Quality of Life Questionnaire-5D (EQ-5D) (SMD = -0.889, 95% CI: -1.181, -0.596, Z = -5.962, P < 0.001), and the Short-form Health Survey (SF) scales (physical dimension: SMD = -0.826, 95% CI: -1.529, -0.123, Z = -2.303, P = 0.021; mental dimension: SMD = -0.376, 95% CI: -0.732, -0.019, Z = -2.064, P = 0.039).

CONCLUSION

PD patients had lower QOL compared with healthy controls in most domains, especially in physical function and mental health. Considering the negative impact of poor QOL on daily life and functional outcomes, effective measures should be developed to improve QOL in this population.

Pharmacological and Non-pharmacological Treatments of Sleep Disorders in Parkinson's Disease

Sleep disorders are one of the most common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). It can cause a notable decrease in quality of life and functioning in PD patients, as well as place a huge burden on both patients and caregivers. The most cited sleep disorders in PD included insomnia, restless legs syndrome (RLS), rapid eye movement (REM), sleep behavior disorders (RBD), excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and sleep disordered breathing (SDB), which can appear alone or several at the same time. In this review, we listed the recommended pharmacological treatments for common sleep disorders in PD, and discussed the recommended dosages, benefits and side effects of relative drugs. We also discussed non-pharmacological treatments to improve sleep quality, including sleep hygiene education, exercise, deep brain stimulation, cognitive behavior therapy and complementary therapies. We tried to find proper interventions for different types of sleep disorders in PD, while minimizing relative side effects.