An examination of anxiety and its influence on health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease using the geriatric anxiety scale: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Anxiety is one of the most common but often overlooked mood-related nonmotor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). To improve the well-being of people with PD, it is important to understand the impact of anxiety in PD, especially its association with depressive and motor symptoms and its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

METHODS

91 people with PD were assessed between June 2017 and June 2018. Anxiety was measured using the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS) and its cognitive, somatic, and affective subscales. HRQoL was assessed using the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire 39 (PDQ-39). Moreover, sociodemographic information, depressive symptoms, cognition, motor and nonmotor symptoms were assessed. Descriptive statistics, regression analyses, and path analyses were performed to understand predictors of anxiety and its influence on HRQoL.

RESULTS

Of the 91 people with PD, 35 (38.5%) experienced anxiety. Anxiety symptoms in these individuals primarily manifest as somatic sensations. Anxiety, motor, and depressive symptoms are interlinked but contribute individually to HRQoL. Beyond motor symptoms, cognitive and affective aspects of anxiety impact HRQoL. While anxiety and depression overlap, the somatic and cognitive aspects of anxiety play a significant role in determining HRQoL in addition to depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Our study used the GAS and its three subscales to shed light on the connections between anxiety, depression, and motor impairment in people with PD. Although anxiety is linked to depression and motor symptoms, it independently affects the HRQoL of people with PD. Thus, it is crucial to adopt a comprehensive diagnostic approach that detects and considers the impact of anxiety on HRQoL in PD.

Trajectories of quality of life in people with diabetes mellitus: results from the survey of health, ageing and retirement in Europe

Introduction

Previous longitudinal studies identified various factors predicting changes in Quality of Life (QoL) in people with diabetes mellitus (PwDM). However, in these studies, the stability of QoL has not been assessed with respect to individual differences.

Methods

We studied the predictive influence of variables on the development of QoL in PwDM across three waves (2013-2017) from the cross-national panel dataset Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). To determine clinically meaningful changes in QoL, we identified minimal clinically important difference (MCID). Linear regressions and Linear Mixed Models (LMM) were conducted to determine factors associated with changes in QoL.

Results

On average, QoL remained stable across three waves in 2989 PwDM, with a marginal difference only present between the first and last wave. However, when looking at individual trajectories, 19 different longitudinal patterns of QoL were identified across the three time-points, with 38.8% of participants showing stable QoL. Linear regression linked lower QoL to female gender, less education, loneliness, reduced memory function, physical inactivity, reduced health, depression, and mobility limitations. LMM showed that the random effect of ID had the strongest impact on QoL across the three waves, suggesting highly individual QoL patterns.

Conclusion

This study enhances the understanding of the stability of QoL measures, which are often used as primary endpoints in clinical research. We demonstrated that using traditional averaging methods, QoL appears stable on group level. However, our analysis indicated that QoL should be measured on an individual level.

Tailored interventions to improve adherence to medication in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (AdhCare)

BACKGROUND

Nonadherence to medication is a major issue in patients with chronic disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Many interventions for increasing adherence have been tested, and these have shown weak-to-moderate efficiency. Although the best methods to improve adherence remain unclear, it is reasonable to use tailored interventions instead of the "one-size-fits-all" approach.

METHODS

A randomized, controlled, triple-blinded trial in elderly patients with PD is conducted to test the efficacy of AdhCare, a tailored intervention to enhance adherence compared with that achieved with routine care (64 participants per arm). Motor function, quality of life, and adherence measures will be assessed at baseline and at 3 and 6 months of follow-up. The type of intervention depends on the main personal reason for nonadherence (e.g., forgetting to take the medication or poor knowledge about the medication).

DISCUSSION

The results of this study will provide valuable information for health professionals and policymakers on the effectiveness of tailored interventions in elderly patients with PD.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00023655. Registered on 24 February 2021. Last update on 22 March 2023.

Prospective associations between hand grip strength and subsequent depressive symptoms in men and women aged 50 years and older: insights from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe

Introduction

In previous cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, depressive symptoms have been associated with lower hand grip strength (HGS), which is a convenient measure of overall muscular strength and serves as a marker of poor health. Most studies have considered low sample sizes or highly selective patient cohorts.

Methods

We studied the association between depressive symptoms (EURO-D) and HGS in three waves from the cross-national panel dataset Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Linear regressions and Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) were conducted to determine factors associated with depressive symptoms and investigate whether HGS predicts future depressive symptoms.

Results

Cross-sectional HGS explained 7.0% (Wave 4), 5.7% (Wave 5), and 6.4% (Wave 6) of the EURO-D variance. In the GEE, we analyzed people without depression in Wave 4 (N = 39,572). HGS predicted future EURO-D (B = -0.21, OR = 0.979, 95%CI (0.979, 0.980), p < 0.001) and remained a significant predictor of future depressive symptoms after adjustment for age, sex, psychosocial and physical covariates.

Discussion

Muscle strength is a known marker for physical health, but a relation with mental health has also been proposed previously. This study confirmed the link between HGS and depressive symptoms in men and women aged ≥50 years in a large longitudinal dataset. Further research is required to understand the mechanisms behind this link to determine whether HGS can serve as a specific marker of depressive symptomology, or whether they coexist due to common underlying disease processes.

Depressive Symptoms and Their Impact on Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease: An Exploratory Network Analysis Approach

The clinical presentation of Parkinson's disease (PD) is often dominated by depressive symptoms, which can significantly impact the patients' quality of life (QoL). However, it is not clear how these depressive symptoms are interconnected, or if some symptoms are more influential in affecting QoL. In the Cohort of Patients with Parkinson's Disease in Spain (COPPADIS) study, 686 patients with PD were analyzed using network analyses. The patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and provided their overall QoL (EUROHIS-QOL) at the beginning of the study. The study used centrality measures such as Expected Influence and Bridge Expected Influence to identify depressive symptoms that had the greatest impact on overall QoL. The results of exploratory network analyses indicate that the BDI-II items related to loss of energy, past failure, and tiredness or fatigue have the greatest impact on overall QoL as measured by the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index. The loss of energy and tiredness or fatigue BDI-II items are also strongly associated with a number of different EUROHIS-QOL items, according to Bridge Expected Influences. For individuals suffering from PD, network analysis can aid in identifying significant non-motor symptoms that impact their QoL, thus paving the way for potential improvements.

Longitudinal analysis of the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale in Parkinson's Disease (NMSS): An exploratory network analysis approach

Introduction

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms. In particular, non-motor symptoms have become increasingly relevant to disease progression. This study aimed to reveal which non-motor symptoms have the highest impact on the complex interacting system of various non-motor symptoms and to determine the progression of these interactions over time.

Methods

We performed exploratory network analyses of 499 patients with PD from the Cohort of Patients with Parkinson's Disease in Spain study, who had Non-Motor Symptoms Scale in Parkinson's Disease ratings obtained at baseline and a 2-year follow-up. Patients were aged between 30 and 75 years and had no dementia. The strength centrality measures were determined using the extended Bayesian information criterion and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. A network comparison test was conducted for the longitudinal analyses.

Results

Our study revealed that the depressive symptoms anhedonia and feeling sad had the strongest impact on the overall pattern of non-motor symptoms in PD. Although several non-motor symptoms increase in intensity over time, their complex interacting networks remain stable.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that anhedonia and feeling sad are influential non-motor symptoms in the network and, thus, are promising targets for interventions as they are closely linked to other non-motor symptoms.

Detecting Reasons for Nonadherence to Medication in Adults with Epilepsy: A Review of Self-Report Measures and Key Predictors

This review presents individual reasons for self-reported nonadherence in people with epilepsy (PWE). A literature search was performed on the PubMed/Medline and Scopus databases for studies published up to March 2022. Thirty-six studies were included using the following inclusion criteria: original studies on adults with epilepsy, use of subjective self-report adherence measurement methods, and publication in English. Data were extracted using a standardized data extraction table, including the year of publication, authors, cohort size, study design, adherence measurement method, and self-reported reasons for nonadherence. Self-reported reasons for nonadherence were grouped following the WHO model with the five dimensions of nonadherence. In addition, study characteristics and sociodemographic information are reported. Of the 36 included studies, 81% were observational. The average nonadherence rate was nearly 50%. Across all studies, patient-associated, therapy-associated, and circumstance-related factors were the most frequently reported dimensions of nonadherence. These factors include forgetfulness, presence of side-effects, and history of seizures. Regarding healthcare system factors, financial problems were the most reported reason for nonadherence. Stigmatization and quality of life were the most frequently cited factors influencing nonadherence in the disease- and circumstance-related dimensions. The results suggest that interventions for improving adherence should incorporate all dimensions of nonadherence.

Tolerance to Dizziness Intensity Increases With Age in People With Chronic Dizziness

Background

Dizziness is a common complaint in older adults. To know which factors are instrumental in enabling patients with chronic dizziness to tolerate their symptoms to a certain degree in everyday life can help to develop tailored therapies.

Methods

Data from 358 patients with chronic dizziness and vertigo who had attended a multimodal daycare treatment program were recorded. Data included sociodemographic parameters, dizziness-related characteristics, the Vertigo Symptom Scale (VSS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Descriptive statistics, elastic net regression, and mediation analysis were used.

Results

A higher tolerance of dizziness was associated with higher age, higher intensity of dizziness, lower burden of dizziness, higher HADS depression, structural reason for dizziness (type), permanent dizziness, absence of attacks, and longer disease duration. In contrast, younger persons with attack-like dizziness reported to tolerate less dizziness. Age had a significant direct effect on tolerance (72% of the total effect) and a significant indirect effect via intensity on tolerance (28% of the total effect) in the mediation analysis.

Conclusion

It can only be speculated that negative stereotypes about age-related complaints may play a role in this. Why older people tolerate more dizziness and to what extent this may contribute to lower healthcare utilization need to be investigated in further studies.

The impact of poor medication knowledge on health-related quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease: a mediation analysis

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine how limited medication knowledge as one aspect of health literacy contributes to poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with Parkinson's disease (PD).

METHODS

Demographical data, PD-specific data (MDS-Unified Parkinson's Disease-Rating Scale, Nonmotor symptom scale), and data about depressive symptoms (Beck's depression inventory), cognition (Montreal cognitive assessment), HRQoL (Short-Form Health Questionnaire-36, SF-36), and medication knowledge (names, time of taking, indication, dosage) were assessed in 193 patients with PD. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), multivariate analysis of covariance, and mediation analyses were used to study the relationship between medication knowledge and HRQoL in combination with different mediators and covariates.

RESULTS

Overall, 43.5% patients showed deficits in at least one of the 4 knowledge items, which was associated with higher age, number of medications per day and depression level, and poorer cognitive function, motor function, and lower education level. Using one-way MANOVA, we identified that medication knowledge significantly impacts physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, and role limitations due to emotional problems. Mediation models using age, education level, and gender as covariates showed that the relationship between knowledge and SF-36 domains was fully mediated by Beck's Depression Inventory but not by Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who expressed unawareness of their medication did not necessarily have cognitive deficits; however, depressive symptoms may instead be present. This concomitant depressive symptomatology is crucial in explaining the contribution of nonadherence and decreased medication knowledge to poor quality of life.

Pain coping strategies and their association with quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To develop multidimensional approaches for pain management, this study aimed to understand how PD patients cope with pain.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, cohort study.

SETTING

Monocentric, inpatient, university hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

52 patients with Parkinson's disease (without dementia) analysed.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Motor function, nonmotor symptoms, health-related quality of life (QoL), and the Coping Strategies Questionnaire were assessed. Elastic net regularization and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used to study the association among coping, clinical parameters, and QoL.

RESULTS

Most patients cope with pain through active cognitive (coping self-statements) and active behavioral strategies (increasing pain behaviors and increasing activity level). Active coping was associated with lower pain rating. Regarding QoL domains, active coping was associated with better physical functioning and better energy, whereas passive coping was associated with poorer emotional well-being. However, as demonstrated by MANOVA, the impact of coping factors (active and passive) on the Short Form 36 domains was negligible after correction for age, motor function, and depression.

CONCLUSION

Passive coping strategies are the most likely coping response of those with depressive symptoms, whereas active coping strategies are the most likely coping response to influence physical function. Although coping is associated with pain rating, the extent that pain coping responses can impact on QoL seems to be low.

Self-Reported Nonadherence to Medication Is Not Associated with Health-Related Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease

Nonadherence is a growing issue in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Many factors are known to influence nonadherence, but little is known about the influence of quality of life (QoL). Detailed clinical data were obtained from 164 patients with PD using the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) and the German Stendal Adherence with Medication Score (SAMS). Descriptive statistics were used to identify reasons for nonadherence, and multivariable linear models were used to study associations between QoL and clinical parameters as well as nonadherence. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) were used to study the effect of the SAMS on PDQ domains and other medical covariates. The results showed that 10.4% (n = 17) of patients were fully adherent, 66.4% (n = 109) were moderately nonadherent, and 23.2% (n = 38) were nonadherent. Nonadherence was associated with male gender, lower Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score, higher non-motor symptoms questionnaire (NMS-Quest) score, greater number of medications per day (an indicator of comorbidity), and higher Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score. QoL was correlated with male gender, lower MoCA score, higher NMS-Quest score, more comorbidities, and higher BDI score, but was not correlated with nonadherence.

Association Between Nonmotor Symptoms and Nonadherence to Medication in Parkinson's Disease

Background: Nonadherence to medication is a common and serious issue in the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Among others, distinct nonmotor symptoms (NMS) were found to be associated with nonadherence in PD. Here, we aimed to confirm the association between NMS and adherence. Methods: In this observational study, the following data were collected: sociodemographic data, the German versions of the Movement Disorder Society-sponsored revision of the unified Parkinson's disease rating scale for motor function (MDS-UPDRS III), Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage, levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD), Becks depression inventory II (BDI-II), nonmotor symptoms questionnaire (NMSQ), and the Stendal adherence to medication score (SAMS). Results: The final sample included 137 people with PD [54 (39.4%) females] with a mean age of 71.3 ± 8.2 years. According to SAMS, 10.9% of the patients were fully adherent, 73% were moderately nonadherent, and 16.1% showed clinically significant nonadherence. Nonadherence was associated with LEDD, BDI-II, education level, MDS-UPDRS III, and the NMSQ. The number of NMS was higher in nonadherent patients than in adherent patients. In the multiple stepwise regression analysis, the items 5 (constipation), 17 (anxiety), and 21 (falls) predicted nonadherence to medication. These NMSQ items also remained significant predictors for SAMS after correction for LEDD, MDS-UPDRS III, BDI-II, age, education level, gender, and disease duration. Conclusion: Our study, in principle, confirms the association between NMS burden and nonadherence in PD. However, in contrast to other clinical factors, the relevance of NMSQ in terms of nonadherence is low. More studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to explore the impact of distinct NMS on adherence.

What Predicts Different Kinds of Nonadherent Behavior in Elderly People With Parkinson's Disease?

Background: Detailed knowledge about nonadherence to medication could improve medical care in elderly patients. We aimed to explore patterns and reasons for nonadherence in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) aged 60 years and older.

Methods: Detailed clinical data and adherence (German Stendal Adherence with Medication Score) were assessed in 230 patients with PD (without dementia). Descriptive statistics were used to study reasons for nonadherence in detail, and general linear models were used to study associations between clusters of nonadherence and clinical parameters.

Results: Overall, 14.2% (n = 32) of the patients were fully adherent, 66.8% (n = 151) were moderately nonadherent, and 19.0% (n = 43) showed clinically meaningful nonadherence. In the multivariable analysis, nonadherence was associated with a lower education level, higher motor impairment in activities of daily living, higher number of medications per day, and motor complications of PD. Three clusters of nonadherence were observed: 59 (30.4%) patients reported intentional nonadherence by medication modification; in 72 (37.1%) patients, nonadherence was associated with forgetting to take medication; and 63 (32.5%) patients had poor knowledge about the prescribed medication. A lower education level was mainly associated with modification of medication and poorer knowledge about prescribed medication, but not with forgetting to take medication. Patients with motor complications, which frequently occur in those with advanced disease stages, tend to be intentionally nonadherent by modifying their prescribed medication. Increased motor problems and a higher total number of drugs per day were associated with less knowledge about the names, reasons, and dosages of their prescribed medication.

Conclusions: Elderly patients with PD report many reasons for intentional and non-intentional nonadherence. Understanding the impact of clinical parameters on different patterns of nonadherence may facilitate tailoring of interventions and counseling to improve outcomes.

Data on adherence to medication in neurological patients using the German Stendal Adherence to Medication Score (SAMS)

This article presents demographic, socio-economic and detailed adherence to medication data from 429 patients with neurological disorders. Adherence to medication was assessed using the German Stendal Adherence to Medication Score (SAMS). The SAMS questionnaire includes 18 questions forming a cumulative scale (0 – 72) in which 0 indicates complete adherence and 72 complete non-adherence. The SAMS covers different aspects of adherence/non-adherence, such as intentional modification of medication, missing knowledge about reasons/dosage/timing of medication and forgetting to take medication. The dataset allows determining different reasons and clusters of adherence to medication. The dataset can be used as by clinicians, pharmacists and academia for further research and as reference. The dataset can also be used in a large range of other topics where demographic and socio-economic parameters are relevant. The data presented herein is associated with the research article “Clusters of non-adherence to medication in neurological patients” [1] and available on Mendeley https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/ny2krr3vgg/1.

Clusters of non-adherence to medication in neurological patients

BACKGROUND

Non-adherence to medication is a common and serious problem in health care. To develop more effective interventions to improve adherence, there is a need for a better understanding of the individual types of non-adherence.

OBJECTIVE

To determine clusters of non-adherence in neurological patients using a complex adherence questionnaire.

METHODS

In this observational, monocentric study 500 neurological patients (consecutive sampling) were recruited in the Department of Neurology at the Jena University Hospital, Germany (outpatient clinic, wards) over a period of 5 months. Patients with severe dementia or delirium who were unable to complete the questionnaire were excluded. Due to missing adherence data, in total, 429 patients with common neurological disorders were analyzed. Different types and clusters of non-adherence using the German Stendal Adherence to Medication Score (SAMS) were determined.

RESULTS

For the 429 patients, the mean age was 63 years (SD = 16), 189 were female. According to the SAMS total score 74 (17.2%) were fully adherent, 252 (58.7%) showed moderate non-adherence and 103 (24%) showed clinically significant non-adherence. Principal component analysis with Varimax rotation revealed three independent factors explaining 60.5% of the SAMS variance. The bulk of non-adherence was attributed to modifications of medication (41.7%) and forgetting to take the medication (33.2%) followed by lack of knowledge 25.1% about reasons, dosages and time of administration for the medication.

CONCLUSIONS

Intentional non-adherence was the primary self-reported behavior identified among non-adherent neurological participants. Many patients modified their prescribed medication due to various reasons, such as side effects or lacking effect. Different clusters require different interventions. While for the cluster ´forgetfulness' the reduction of poly-medication and a behavioral approach with reminders seems reasonable, patients in cluster ´missing knowledge' and cluster ´modifications' may need an educational approach.