2024 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 49-54
Parkinson's disease involves both motor and non–motor symptoms. Physicians typically identify wearing off (WO) states based on motor symptoms. We conducted a questionnaire survey of members of the Japan Parkinson's Disease Association to investigate the occurrence and timing of non–motor symptoms associated with WO. Responses were received from 1,301 patients. Of the 676 patients who reported that they subjectively perceive motor or non–motor symptoms, 324 (47.9%) only had non–motor symptoms. Of the 568 patients with a physician–confirmed case of WO, 327 (57.6%) had developed non–motor symptoms before the confirmation of WO. Of these 327 patients, 133 (40.7%) reported that their symptoms improved with levodopa treatment. These findings suggest that in the early stages of treatment, patients should be carefully monitored for signs of WO, based on assessment of not only motor symptoms but also non–motor symptoms.
