Is Being Physically Active Enough or Do People with Parkinson's Disease Need Structured Supervised Exercise? Lessons...

Area of Science:

• Neurology and Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social isolation significantly impacted lifestyles and daily activities.
• Parkinson's disease (PD) patients experienced challenges adapting to pandemic-related lifestyle changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare pre- and post-pandemic clinical outcomes in Parkinson's disease patients.
• To assess differences based on exercise habits and behavioral changes during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• 27 individuals with Parkinson's disease (57-92 years old) were assessed post-lockdown.
• Evaluated changes in exercise behavior, motor and non-motor symptoms (MDS-UPDRS I & II), daily activities (Schwab & England scale), quality of life (PDQ), sleep (PDSS), falls, and clinical global impression.
• Compared outcomes between participants who stopped physical activity (37%) and those who remained active (63%).

Main Results:

• All participants reported a worsening of their clinical condition, with 37% noting increased difficulty in daily activities.
• 51.8% of participants perceived a worsening of their overall health condition.
• While the active group had a slightly better self-perception of health, the influence of exercise habits on quantifiable outcomes was borderline.

Conclusions:

• Social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected Parkinson's disease patients' clinical outcomes.
• Maintaining physical activity showed a borderline benefit, suggesting that more structured exercise interventions may be necessary for this population.
• Individuals with Parkinson's disease should be informed about the potential need for structured exercise beyond general physical activity.