Untreated depressive symptoms among cognitively-intact, community dwelling Filipino patients with Parkinson disease.

The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its correlation with the quality of life among cognitively intact, community dwelling Filipino patients with Parkinson disease (PD) not treated pharmacologically for depression. In this prospective, cross-sectional study 76 PD patients were included. Demographic data were obtained including: age, gender, onset of disease, disease duration, and medication intake. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was performed to exclude significant cognitive impairment. The Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was administered to quantify the degree of depressive symptoms. The degree of depressive symptoms was correlated with the SF 36 and UPDRS Parts II and III. Our cohort of patients had a mean age of 61 years (range: 42-81 years), and disease duration of 2.7 years (33 months); 46 (61%) experienced significant depressive symptoms based on the MADRS cutoff score of >14. Depressive symptoms were associated with poorer performance on both UPDRS Parts II and III and SF 36. Untreated depressive symptoms among Filipinos with PD may be higher compared to other PD populations but prospective and age-matched controlled studies will need to be performed to confirm these preliminary observations. The presence of depressive symptoms was significantly correlated with poorer quality of life and level of functioning.