Status of Korean Patients with Parkinson's Disease before Diagnosis

Choi, Sun Ah; Kim, Jin Ho; Lee, Myung Sik

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Many Korean primary care physicians seem to be unfamiliar with symptoms and signs of Parkinson's disease (PD). We therefore investigated the status of Korean patients with PD before receiving a correct diagnosis of PD.
METHODS
Using a questionnaire, we interviewed 102 patients with PD and their main care givers. The questionnaire included age at onset, first visiting medical facilities, time interval between the first visit and the correct diagnosis, and medical expenses. We also studied patients' and their main care givers' period of school education and monthly income.
RESULTS
102 (51 men, 51 women) patients with PD were included. Their mean age at the inquiry was 64.1 years old. For their first medical facilities, oriental medicine was chosen in 47 patients (46.1%), university hospitals in26 (25.5%), general hospitals in 14 (13.7%), private clinics in 11 (10.8%), and paramedical facilities in 4 (3.9%). The clinical diagnoses were not told in 48 (47.1%), stroke in 27 (26.5%), PD in 17 (16.7%), disc herniation in 4 (3.9%), arthritis in 4 (3.9%), and others in 2 (2%). It took the mean of 23.4 months from the first visit to the diagnosis of PD. PD patients with main care-givers making less money visited more numbers of medical facilities until they were diagnosed correctly. There was a negative correlation between the period of school education and medical expenses.
CONCLUSIONS
To prevent unnecessary medical expenses and physical damage of Korean patients with PD, more education about PD for primary care physicians and medical students must be considered.