Parkinson disease: associated disorders in the Norwegian population based incident ParkWest study

Parkinson's disease (PD) may be associated with a number of different diseases due to common risk factors or overlapping symptomatology. We have asked for possible associated disorders in a Norwegian population of incident PD patients and controls, the Norwegian ParkWest study. The patients were diagnosed according to the Gelb criteria. 212 incident PD patients and 175 age and gender matched controls were included. PD patients and controls were asked for information on earlier medical history and family history. PD patients had a higher frequency of self-reported symptoms of depression (p = 0.003) and anxiety disorders (p = 0.004) before baseline. They tended to have a higher frequency of diabetes (p = 0.09) and had a higher frequency of prior stroke or TIA (p = 0.004).