Correlation Between Depression and Quality of Life Among Patients With Parkinson's Disease: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive complex degenerative disorder characterised by several motor and non -motor symptoms that result in disability and deterioration of the patient's quality of life (QOL). Depression is the most common non -motor symptom that may severely alter the QOL. The objective of this study was to examine the correlation between depression and QOL among patients with PD who received treatment from a movement disorder clinic of a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India. Methods This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted among 220 PD patients who received treatment from a movement disorder clinic of a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India. The participants aged between 40 and 80 years, who can comprehend Malayalam or English and were clinically diagnosed with PD according to United Kingdom PD Society Brain Bank criteria were included in the study. Depression was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, motor function using the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III, and the quality of life was assessed using the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire 39. Results The results of this study showed that there was a significant positive correlation between depression and QOL (r=0.699, p<0.01) among patients with PD who received treatment from a tertiary care teaching hospital. The correlation with domains of QOL also identified that depression was significantly correlated with all domains of QOL and more to the emotional domain of QOL (r=0.799, p<0.01). Conclusion Depression is the most common neuropsychiatric condition in PD and the most important determinant of QOL. Depression may occur at any stage of PD and can significantly impact the QOL of patients and their caregivers. Hence it should be recognized early and managed by pharmacological and nonpharmacological measures to improve the QOL.