Quality of Life in People with Parkinson's Disease and its Relationship to Disease Severity

Abstract

Introduction: The quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) is influenced by multiple factors, including the severity of the disease. 

Objectives: To determine the relationship between quality of life and the severity of Parkinson's disease, identifying the most affected factors at each stage of progression. 

Methodology: 30 adults with an average age of 51.417±1.80 years from the Parkinson's Association of Valdivia were administered the SF-36 survey to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Additionally, the Hoehn and Yahr scale was used to determine the severity of Parkinson's disease (PD). 

Results: According to the SF-36 questionnaire, women showed a better quality of life (55.08%) compared to men (47.75%). The dimensions of physical role (dimension 2) and emotional role (dimension 7) were significantly low, while vitality (dimension 5), mental health (dimension 8), and social functioning (dimension 6) showed significantly higher differences. The Hoehn and Yahr scale revealed that most participants were in a mild to moderate stage of the disease, with stage 3 being the most frequent, 30% in women and 23.33% in men. The predominant signs and symptoms were bradykinesia, resting tremor, postural instability, and balance disturbances. 

Conclusions: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients classified as mild to moderate is not significantly affected by the severity of the disease. Additionally, women have a more favorable perception of their quality of life.