Rate and severity of depression in patients with Parkinson's disease

Depression is common and may occur at any stage in the long history of Parkinson’s disease, markedly affecting a patient’s threshold to discomfort, but it is particularly difficult to assess before clear clinical features are evident. The rate of depression in patients with Parkinson’s disease vary, partly because of differences in the definition of depression, difficulties in distinguishing between the features of depression and those of Parkinson’s disease, methods of assessment, and the patient population studied. To measure the rate and severity of depression among patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and its correlation with motor disability, age, sex, and other variables, 54 patients with PD were matched for age and sex with 52 healthy controls. Depression was diagnosed by using ICD-10 criteria and its severity rated by Beck Depression Inventory, while the motor disability of PD was made according to Hoehn and Yahr scale. Patients with PD were significantly more depressed than the control group (42.59% vs 7.69%, P