Non-motor symptoms in Thai Parkinson's disease patients: Prevalence and associated factors

Background & Objective: To identify the prevalence, pattern, associated factors of non-motor symptoms (NMS) in a cohort of Thai Parkinson's disease (PD) patients from the Surin province, Northeast Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 110 patients was conducted at neurological clinic in Surin Hospital from June to September 2017. NMS were assessed according to Thammasat University Non-Motor Symptoms Questionnaire 40 (TU-NMSQuest). The data on age, sex, duration and severity of disease, treatment and cognitive status were collected. All data were analyzed to determine the prevalence and factors that might correlate with severity of NMS. Results: All the PD patients have at least one NMS symptoms. Nocturia was the commonest symptom (81.8%), followed by insomnia (74.5%), pain (73.6%) and fatigue (71.8%). The number of NMS significantly increased with severity of disease, depression, duration of disease and dementia. Conclusion: All the PD patients in a cohort from rural Northeast Thailand have at least one NMS symptoms. TU-NMSQuest was found to be a useful instrument for screening NMS.