Depression and Anxiety in Parkinson's Disease: Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with both motor and non-motor symptoms, including depression and anxiety, which significantly impact patients' quality of life. The predictors of these psychiatric symptoms remain incompletely understood. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and potential predictors of depression and anxiety in PD.

A prospective study was conducted on 99 idiopathic PD patients. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. A range of clinical and demographic variables, including motor symptoms, sleep disturbances, and quality of life, were analyzed using regression models.

Of the patients, 57.5% had depression, 48.4% had anxiety, and 36.3% had both. Significant predictors of depression included the use of apomorphine, which was associated with lower PHQ-9 scores (p=0.031), and the presence of restless legs syndrome (RLS), which was linked to higher depression scores (p=0.037). For anxiety, younger age was a significant predictor (p=0.007). Both depression and anxiety scores correlated with lower quality of life (p<0.001 for both).

This study highlights the high prevalence of depression and anxiety in PD, with significant predictors including RLS for depression and younger age for anxiety. Apomorphine use appears protective against depression. Both depression and anxiety disrupt quality of life. These findings underscore the importance of routine psychiatric screening and comprehensive management of depression and anxiety in PD, aiming to improve patient outcomes.