The non-motor symptom complex of Parkinson’s disease

PD has traditionally been regarded as a motor disorder.³ However, physicians are increasingly realising the need to recognise non-motor symptoms, both for diagnostic and management purposes, to try to improve patients’ quality of life.³

Many non-motor symptoms, for example psychosis and excessive daytime sleepiness, are due to the effects of the PD itself as well as PD medications.^4,5 Some of the non-motor symptoms of PD can be managed effectively with appropriate treatment.⁵ For example, depression may respond well to antidepressants, and constipation may be resolved with laxatives.⁵

References:
1.Chaudhuri KR, Ondo W. Handbook of Movement Disorders. London: Current Medicine Group, 2009.

2.Goldman JG, Postuma R. Premotor and nonmotor features of Parkinson’s disease. Curr Opin Neurol 2014; 27 (4): 434–441.

3.Massano J , Bhatia KP. Clinical approach to Parkinson’s disease: features, diagnosis, and principles of management. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2012; 2 (6): a008870.

4.Lim SY, Lang AE. The nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease – an overview. Mov Disord 2010; 25 (Suppl 1): S123–130.

5.Sung VW, Nicholas AP. Nonmotor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease: expanding the view of Parkinson’s disease beyond a pure motor, pure dopaminergic problem. Neurol Clin 2013; 31 (3 Suppl): S1–16.