Health-related quality of life and its determinants in Parkinson's disease: results of an Italian cohort study.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder with a progressive disabling course. Health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in Italian patients with PD has not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate HrQol of an Italian cohort of PD patients and to provide a comprehensive analysis of HrQoL determinants. We performed a cross-sectional survey of 70 outpatients with idiopathic PD recruited in the department of Neurology, Napoli University, Italy. Clinical data included the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS), motor and non-motor symptoms. The generic instrument EuroQol (EQ-5D and EQ-VAS) was used to evaluate HrQol. Factors influencing HrQol were assessed by multivariate regression analysis. Severe problems in at least one dimension of the EQ-5D were experienced by 60% of PD patients versus 4.7% in general Italian population. The dimensions most affected were mobility, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression with only 17.4%, 18.8% and 17.4% of patients, respectively, reporting no problems in these dimensions. The mean EQ-VAS score was 54.20 ± 18.38. Independent determinants of reduced HrQoL were increased UPDRS scores, motor fluctuations, dyskinesias, depression and dementia. PD strongly affects HrQol in Italian patients. The results of this study should be considered in the development of national healthcare programmes aimed at improvement of the HrQoL in Italian patients with PD. In particular, these programmes should concentrate not only on motor but also on non-motor manifestations of PD.