How common are complications of Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease (PD) can be associated with a wide range of complications of advancing disease and treatment. However, it is unclear how often these occur in the overall population of patients with PD.

To assess the prevalence of disease and treatment complications and their clinical correlates in a community-based sample of 124 patients with PD.

Average current age was 72 (SD 10.9) and mean disease duration 6 (SD 4.3) years. Falls with postural instability and other axial features were among the most common complications of advancing disease in this population (64 %). Motor fluctuations and dyskinesias affected approximately 30 and 20 % of the overall sample respectively, and changes in mental state such as dementia, depression and hallucinations each affected approximately one fifth of patients. Symptoms of autonomic nervous system dysfunction occurred in the great majority of patients, but were not associated with greater disease severity, disease duration or overall disability.

In contrast to clinic-based samples, the most frequently occurring complications of PD in this community-based sample were axial features such as postural instability with falls. These factors should be more taken into account in the allocation of health care resources and the treatment of symptoms of patients with PD in the community.