Title : Gait and balance among people with de novo vs. mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease
Abstract:
We have investigated how a de novo cohort of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) differs in terms of balance and gait function as well as frequency of near falls and falls in comparison to a cohort with mild to moderate PD that has been medicated for several years. Preliminary results (Table 1) showed that people with de novo PD have balance and gait impairments and that some have also experienced near falls and falls. On the contrary, the cohort with more advanced disease has significantly fewer motor symptoms, as shown in the UPDRS motor score, compared to those newly diagnosed. This is probably related to successful symptomatic medication in the more advanced cohort. Despite less motor symptoms, those with a more advanced disease performed significantly worse on the balance-demanding tests (i.e., Timed Up and Go, Tandem Gait) and reported more near falls and falls. These results are consistent with previous studies reporting that dopaminergic medication improves motor symptoms, but has less effects on mobility and balance in PD. This indicates a need for balance-promoting efforts from an early stage of the disease.
What will audience learn from your presentation?
As we previously mentioned, our results are consistent with previous studies reporting that medication has little effect on balance symptoms. The anti-Parkinson medication improves some of the motor symptoms of PD but has less effects on mobility and dynamic balance. This indicates a need for balance assessment already in an early stage of the disease i.e., at the time for diagnosis. Balance investigation should target different aspects of balance (reactive, dynamic, static) as well as mobility. Furthermore, asking about near falls or falls should also be included already at the time for diagnosis. Then, all these parameters should be monitored over time.
