Prevalence of Rhinorrhea in Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

To perform a systematic review and determine the prevalence of rhinorrhea in Parkinson disease (PD).

Of 451 patients with PD and 233 controls, the pooled prevalence of rhinorrhea in patients with PD was 45.0% (95% confidence interval 33.94-56.40), which was significantly greater than that in controls (p < 0.001). The prevalence of self-reported olfactory dysfunction was greater in patients with PD; however, a pooled analysis of studies using objective scores showed no difference. The mean age of patients with PD was greater than that of controls (p = 0.002). The mean age of patients with PD with rhinorrhea was also greater than that of patients with PD without rhinorrhea (p < 0.001), but disease characteristics did not differ.

There is a high prevalence of rhinorrhea in patients with PD; therefore, providers should query for rhinorrhea during visits and understand the treatment options available. Future studies should explore the pathophysiology of rhinorrhea in PD and the relationship between rhinorrhea and disease severity and duration, as well as determine whether treatment-specific outcomes differ in patients with PD.