OBJECTIVE: To investigate the heterogeneity of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) in a data driven manner among a cohort of patients in the early clinical stages of the disease meeting established diagnostic criteria. METHODS: Data on demographic, motor, mood, and cognitive measures were collected from 120 consecutive patients in the early stages of PD (Hoehn and Yahr I-III) attending a specialist PD research clinic. Statistical cluster analysis of the data allowed the existence of the patient subgroups generated to be explored. RESULTS: The analysis revealed four main subgroups: (a) patients with a younger disease onset; (b) a tremor dominant subgroup of patients; (c) a non-tremor dominant subgroup with significant levels of cognitive impairment and mild depression; and (d) a subgroup with rapid disease progression but no cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: This study complements and extends previous research by using a data driven approach to define the clinical heterogeneity of early PD. The approach adopted in this study for the identification of subgroups of patients within Parkinson's disease has important implications for generating testable hypotheses on defining the heterogeneity of this common condition and its aetiopathological basis and thus its treatment.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the heterogeneity of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) in a data driven manner among a cohort of patients in the early clinical stages of the disease meeting established diagnostic criteria. METHODS: Data on demographic, motor, mood, and cognitive measures were collected from 120 consecutive patients in the early stages of PD (Hoehn and Yahr I-III) attending a specialist PD research clinic. Statistical cluster analysis of the data allowed the existence of the patient subgroups generated to be explored. RESULTS: The analysis revealed four main subgroups: (a) patients with a younger disease onset; (b) a tremor dominant subgroup of patients; (c) a non-tremor dominant subgroup with significant levels of cognitive impairment and mild depression; and (d) a subgroup with rapid disease progression but no cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: This study complements and extends previous research by using a data driven approach to define the clinical heterogeneity of early PD. The approach adopted in this study for the identification of subgroups of patients within Parkinson's disease has important implications for generating testable hypotheses on defining the heterogeneity of this common condition and its aetiopathological basis and thus its treatment.
Authors: Carson R Reider; Cheryl A Halter; Peter F Castelluccio; David Oakes; William C Nichols; Tatiana Foroud Journal: Mov Disord Date: 2003-03 Impact factor: 10.338
Authors: Steven S Gill; Nikunj K Patel; Gary R Hotton; Karen O'Sullivan; Renée McCarter; Martin Bunnage; David J Brooks; Clive N Svendsen; Peter Heywood Journal: Nat Med Date: 2003-03-31 Impact factor: 53.440
Authors: Vikas Kotagal; Roger L Albin; Martijn L T M Müller; Robert A Koeppe; Kirk A Frey; Nicolaas I Bohnen Journal: Neurology Date: 2014-03-28 Impact factor: 9.910
Authors: Conrad Tucker; Yixiang Han; Harriet Black Nembhard; Mechelle Lewis; Wang-Chien Lee; Nicholas W Sterling; Xuemei Huang Journal: IIE Trans Healthc Syst Eng Date: 2015-11-20