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. 2012 Feb;18(2):130-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2011.08.022. Epub 2011 Oct 4.

Loss of ability to work and ability to live independently in Parkinson's disease

Barbara Jasinska-Myga  1 , Michael G Heckman, Christian Wider, John D Putzke, Zbigniew K Wszolek, Ryan J Uitti
Affiliations

Loss of ability to work and ability to live independently in Parkinson's disease

Barbara Jasinska-Myga et al. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2012 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: Ability to work and live independently is of particular concern for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We studied a series of PD patients able to work or live independently at baseline, and evaluated potential risk factors for two separate outcomes: loss of ability to work and loss of ability to live independently.

Methods: The series comprised 495 PD patients followed prospectively. Ability to work and ability to live independently were based on clinical interview and examination. Cox regression models adjusted for age and disease duration were used to evaluate associations of baseline characteristics with loss of ability to work and loss of ability to live independently.

Results: Higher UPDRS dyskinesia score, UPDRS instability score, UPDRS total score, Hoehn and Yahr stage, and presence of intellectual impairment at baseline were all associated with increased risk of future loss of ability to work and loss of ability to live independently (P ≤ 0.0033). Five years after initial visit, for patients ≤70 years of age with a disease duration ≤4 years at initial visit, 88% were still able to work and 90% to live independently. These estimates worsened as age and disease duration at initial visit increased; for patients >70 years of age with a disease duration >4 years, estimates at 5 years were 43% able to work and 57% able to live independently.

Conclusions: The information provided in this study can offer useful information for PD patients in preparing for future ability to perform activities of daily living.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A. Kaplan-Meier estimated proportion of patients still able to work after baseline visit, stratified by age at baseline visit and disease duration (DD) B. Kaplan-Meier estimated proportion of patients still able to live independently after baseline visit, stratified by age at baseline visit and disease duration (DD)
Figure 1
Figure 1
A. Kaplan-Meier estimated proportion of patients still able to work after baseline visit, stratified by age at baseline visit and disease duration (DD) B. Kaplan-Meier estimated proportion of patients still able to live independently after baseline visit, stratified by age at baseline visit and disease duration (DD)
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