Comparison of two motor subtype classifications in de novo Parkinson's disease

• Published in: Parkinsonism & related disorders 2018-09, Vol.54, p.74-78
• Main Authors: Choi, Seong-Min, Kim, Byeong C., Cho, Bang-Hoon, Kang, Kyung Wook, Choi, Kang-Ho, Kim, Joon-Tae, Lee, Seung-Han, Park, Man-Seok, Kim, Myeong-Kyu, Cho, Ki-Hyun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Akinetic-rigid; Disease subtypes; Parkinson's disease; Postural instability; Tremor-dominant
• ISSN: 1353-8020; 1873-5126
• DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2018.04.021

Clinical subtypes of Parkinson's disease (PD) have been empirically defined based on the prominent motor symptoms. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of non-motor symptoms across PD motor subtypes in patients with PD. A total of 192 patients with de novo PD were included. The patients were classified into the tremor-dominant/mixed/akinetic-rigid (TD/mixed/AR) and tremor-dominant/mixed/postural instability and gait disturbance (TD/mixed/PIGD) subtypes, according to previous reports. In the TD/mixed/AR classification, scores for scales related to motor symptoms and activities of daily living (ADL) were significantly different among the groups, and patients with the AR subtype demonstrated more severe scores than patients with the TD subtype. In the TD/mixed/PIGD classification, age, age at symptom onset, scores on motor-related scales, ADL, and non-motor symptoms were significantly different among the groups. Scores including the modified Hoehn and Yahr stages, the motor and ADL subscores of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Non-Motor Symptom Assessment Scale were significantly different after adjustments for age and age at symptom onset, and patients with the PIGD subtype obtained more severe scores than patients with the TD subtype. The TD/mixed/PIGD classification seems to be more suitable for identifying non-motor abnormalities than the TD/mixed/AR classification. •Scores related to motor symptoms and ADL were significantly different in both classification methods.•Patients with the non-tremor-dominant subtype showed more severe motor and ADL scores than the patients with the TD subtype did.•Only patients with the PIGD subtype showed more severe non-motor symptoms scores than patients with the TD subtype.•The TD/mixed/PIGD classification seems to be more suitable for identifying non-motor abnormalities than the TD/mixed/AR classification.