Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system that affects mainly individuals older than 50 years of age. Studies evaluating quality of life (QOL) in individuals with PD have revealed that this disease has a significant negative impact. The Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) has been indicated as one of the most appropriate instrument for evaluating QOL in individuals with PD. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perception of QOL in individuals with PD at our Institution's outpatient service for movement disorders, using the PDQ-39. METHOD: Individuals with a diagnosis of PD who were aged 40 years and older and classified in stages 1 to 3 of the Modified Hoehn & Yahr scale were included in this study. RESULTS: Thirty-three individuals of mean age 64.65 ± 10.44 years and mean duration of the disease of 9.27 ± 4.40 years participated in this study. The descriptive analysis showed that the median total score in the PDQ-39 was 25%, with worst perceptions of QOL in the dimensions of "Activities of Daily Living" (ADL) (41.67%) and "Mobility" (34.32%). A high association was found between the total score and the dimension of "Mobility" (r s= 0.82) and a moderate association between the total score and the dimensions of "ADL" (r s= 0.68) and "Communication" (r s = 0.53). CONCLUSIONS: Motor limitations relating to mobility, ADL and communication were significantly related to the general perception of QOL among individuals with PD. These findings suggest that rehabilitation programs aiming to improve QOL among individuals with PD should focus on these limitations.
Parkinson's disease; quality of life; PDQ-39
