Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
Non-motor symptoms are a key component of Parkinson's disease, possibly representing a clinical biomarker of its premotor phase. The burden of non-motor symptoms can define a patient's health-related quality of life. Non-motor symptoms substantially increase the cost of care—requiring increased hospitalisation and treatment—and pose a major challenge to healthcare professionals. However, clinicians often regard non-motor symptoms and their management as peripheral to that of the motor symptoms. Here, we address the clinical issues and unmet needs of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.
Introduction
I have Parkinson's. I would like you to address the following symptoms that bother me the most: sleep, pain and then my movement disorder.A patient with Parkinson's disease, 10 October 2013
James Parkinson recognised the implications and importance of motor Parkinson's disease (PD) in 1817 and highlighted key non-motor symptoms, such as sleep dysfunction, dysautonomia, cognitive and neuropsychiatric issues. However, it was almost 150 years before the importance of the burden of non-motor symptoms on the lives of the people with Parkinson's and the carers became apparent. Many studies have addressed cognition, dementia, sleep disorders and depression in PD. More recently, holistic tools, such as the self-rated Non-Motor Symptoms Questionnaire (NMSQuest) and the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) have allowed clinicians to quantify the overall burden of these additional symptoms in PD and their impact on quality of life.