Covid-19 perception and self reported impact of pandemic on Parkinson's disease symptoms of patients with physically independent Parkinson's disease

Objective: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has affected many people with chronic diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to investigate the perception of Covid-19 and the self-reported impact of the pandemic on PD symptoms of a group of patients with physically independent PD from Turkey. Methods: We applied a questionnaire to idiopathic PD patients aged >= 65 years, who did not have known dementia, who were physically independent and who had at least one visit in the year before the telephone interview. The study patients were selected from the medical records of two different centers in Kirikkale, Turkey. Two neurologists conducted a semi-structured telephone interview to evaluate the perception of Covid-19 and new or worsening PD symptoms after the home quarantine. Results: In total, 86 patients were included in the study. Although most of the patients (97.7%) knew of Covid-19, knowledge of the Covid-19 symptoms was moderate ( 54.7%). Most patients reported that they washed their hands often (100%) and wore a mask (98.8%); 76 (88.4%) of them stayed at home. Compliance with other preventive measures was above 80%. In total, 40 (46.5%) patients (28 male, 12 female) reported worsening bradykinesia. Fatigue (24.4%), daytime sleepiness (20.9%), pain (20.9%) and anxiety (15.2%) were the most common new or worsening non-motor symptoms. Conclusions: The Covid-19 knowledge in a group of patients with PD from Turkey can be considered adequate. They have a high compliance with preventive measures. However, reduced non-exercise physical activity due to the pandemic affected both their motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms.