2025 American Academy of Neurology Abstract Website

Karlos Acurio¹, Aldo Paul flores gavino², Nathaly Chinchihualpa Paredes³, Fritz Vascones Roman¹, Wagner Rios Garcia⁴, Gonzalo Callahuanca¹, Irving Calisaya-Madariaga¹, Miriam Lizeth guerrero yrena⁵, Luis Aguilar Alvarez⁶, Niels Pacheco⁷
¹Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, ²Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, ³University of Cincinnati, ⁴NATIONAL UNIVERSITY SAN LUIS GONZAGA, ⁵Universidad Nacional Pedro Ruiz Gallo, ⁶Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca, ⁷Harvard Medical School

Objective:

To evaluate the quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) in Latin America

Background:

PD significantly impacts the quality of life, with cultural, social, and economic factors influencing the degree of this impact. Despite the growing prevalence of PD in Latin America, there is limited evidence summarizing the region-specific QoL outcomes for these patients.

Design/Methods:

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines. Databases including PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were searched up to August 2024 for studies assessing quality of life in Latin American PD patients. No age or language restrictions were imposed. We only consider case control and cohort studies. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale, and GRADE criteria were used to evaluate the certainty of evidence.

Results:

A total of 91 studies, comprising 9,716 patients, met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 63 studies assessed quality of life (QoL) using the PDQ-39 questionnaire. Most patients had Parkinson's disease (PD) in stages 3-4 according to the Hoehn and Yahr scale, with a mean disease duration of 7.57 (±2.1) years. Regarding the PDQ-39, the mean scores were as follows: mobility, 50.33 (±8.69); activities of daily living, 43.14 (±8.38); emotional well-being, 41.10 (±5.72); stigma, 33.15 (±8.95); social support, 23.94 (±20.59); cognition, 34.06 (±7.45); communication, 25.11 (±12.39); and bodily discomfort, 35.98 (±6.27). The quality of evidence was rated as moderate due to heterogeneity in study designs and variations in QoL scales and disease severity across studies.

Conclusions:

This review highlights a significant reduction in the quality of life for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients in Latin America. Stigma, social support, and communication are the most affected areas, underscoring the importance of public awareness and education about the disease.