Sensory Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease

Kim, Sang Woo; Cha, Jae Kwan; Kim, Sang Ho; Kim, Jae Woo

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A variety of sensory disturbances such as tingling, numbness, muscle cramp, pain and burning are recognized in Parkinson's disease. There is a hypothesis that sensory symptoms of Parkinson's disease could be related to "release" of sensory centers from extrapyramidal systems. We investigated the characteristic features of sensory symptoms in Parkinsonian patients and the possibilities that sensory symptoms may be related to dopaminergic pathways.
METHODS
We included 130 patients with Parkinson's disease. The patients with medical illness such as diabetes, arthritis or musculoskeletal disease were excluded. We studied 38 Parkinsonian patients with sensory complaints using electrophysiologic studies and neuroimaging.
RESULTS
1) Thirty-eight(29.2%) of 130 Parkinsonian patients(mean age ; 57.9 +/- 10.1 ; 13 men, 25 women) had sensory symptoms. 2) Among thirty-eight Parkinsonian patients with sensory symptoms, 19 patients had pain, 10 tingling sensation, 3 burning sense, and 2 muscle cramp. 3) The arm and leg were most common sites for sensory symptoms 4) Sensory complaints preceded motor symptoms in 17 patients(21.1 +/- 19.1 months) and followed in 13 patients(26.7 +/- 41.9 months). 5) In 25 patients(66%), sensory symptoms were improved with levodopa. 6) There was no significant correlation between sensory symptoms and motor disabilities.
CONCLUSIONS
Many Parkinsonian patients had various sensory complaints as well as motor symptoms. In some patients, sensory symptoms preceded motor disabilities. It was also suggested that sensory symptoms in some patients with Parkinson's disease be related to dopaminergic pathways.