Addressing weight loss in Parkinson disease patients

Abstract

Japan’s aging population presents significant challenges in managing Parkinson’s disease (PD), a condition whose prevalence rises with age. Approximately 1 in 100 people over 65 are affected by PD, and addressing its progression, treatment optimization, and caregiving burden requires a comprehensive approach. PD symptoms vary across disease stages: early on, clinical manifestations are mild and often respond to levodopa treatment, but in the advanced stages, motor complications such as wearing–off, dyskinesia may occur, and freezing of gait, falls, and dysphagia, which do not respond well to dopamine therapy, may become problematic. Unfortunately, current treatments struggle to adapt to these changing disease stages. Weight loss, a common non–motor symptom in PD, has gained attention due to the concept of frailty. Healthcare professionals need guidelines to manage weight loss in patients with PD effectively in their daily practice.