Sex Differences in the Clinical Progression of Parkinson's Disease.
Nabila Dahodwala, Qinglin Pei, Peter Schmidt
PMID 27444842WHAT IT FOUND
In 4,679 people with Parkinson’s disease, one-year progression was broadly similar for men and women, with only small sex differences in daily living scores and delayed recall.
Key findings
01After one year, men and women declined across all markers of disease progression except the PDQ-39 stigma sub-score.
02In bivariate analysis, the only sex difference in one-year progression was a change in the PDQ-39 ADL sub-score of 0.6 versus 0.8 (p=0.035).
03In multivariate analysis, the only sex difference in one-year progression was in five-word delayed recall change (0.094, SE 0.042; p=0.025).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The analysis followed patients for only one year, so it may not capture longer-term sex differences in Parkinson’s disease progression. Participants came from Parkinson’s disease Centers of Excellence, so the findings may not apply to people with Parkinson’s disease who do not access specialty care. Because this was a secondary analysis of registry data, selection bias was possible among people who enrolled or were lost to follow-up. Important variables such as socioeconomic status were not accounted for in the analysis. The study used a limited set of outcome measures and did not capture other outcomes that may differ by sex, such as dyskinesias or sexual function.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflict of interest or relevant financial relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the small sex differences as proof that men and women need different Parkinson’s disease care. The study followed patients for only one year, found broad decline in both sexes, and the only adjusted sex difference was in delayed recall change.