Parkinson’s disease affects the central nervous system and, specifically, an area of the brain called the basal ganglia and is involved in movement control, which is why the most common and well-known symptoms of Parkinson’s are those that affect movement, posture and balance, such as tremors, slowness, muscle stiffness, difficulties walking, balance problems…
Patients also present non-motor symptoms, such as cognitive or gastrointestinal alterations, depression or anxiety, sleep disorders, pain, fatigue, etc. Now, in addition, a new Spanish study has discovered that this disease does not affect men and women in the same way and that the patient’s sex influences the mechanisms of Parkinson’s and causes the symptoms to vary significantly.
This has been the main conclusion of the new study of the COPPADIS project, promoted by the Movement Disorders Study Group (GETM) of the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN). Their results have been published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine and reveal that depression, fatigue and pain are more common or severe in women, while symptoms such as hypomimia (loss of facial expression), speech problems, rigidity and hypersexuality are more common in men.
Differences by sex in Parkinson’s disease
“This is the first study carried out in Spain that analyzes the differences by sex in Parkinson’s disease in a large cohort of patients -410 men and 271 women- and it is one of the largest studies carried out to date in the world”, explains Dr. Diego Santos, member of the Movement Disorders Study Group of the SEN and lead author of this paper.
Depression, fatigue, and pain are more common or severe in women, and loss of facial expression, slurred speech, stiffness, and hypersexuality are more common in men
“Different genetic, hormonal, neuroendocrine and molecular factors appear to be involved in the differences in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease between men and women. Because of this, we already know that the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson’s disease is between 1.5 and 2 times higher in men than in women and that the onset of the disease in women is slightly later than in men, but we thought it necessary see also how these factors influence the motor and non-motor symptoms of the disease, the quality of life and the daily autonomy of our patients”.
Researchers have also found that men with Parkinson’s are more likely to develop greater disability associated with the non-motor symptoms of the disease, especially in the short term, while in women it affects more their functional ability to carry out tasks. daily activities, and the perception of loss of quality of life is usually greater in them.
In addition, the study shows that, in general, women receive lower doses of drugs intended to treat Parkinson’s, although adjusting the dose for weight, no differences are observed between the sexes. Women, however, more frequently take antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and pain relievers.
“In our analysis we have also detected many other differences between men and women with Parkinson’s disease. For example, that women are more likely to live alone, that they have a lower educational level, that they consume more drugs for other diseases, or that they have a greater risk of suffering from depression –almost double that of men–. On the contrary, certain harmful habits (such as smoking and alcohol consumption) are significantly more frequent in men”, comments Dr. Diego Santos.
“We believe that it is important to know all these differences, because we will be able to better adapt the treatments, better predict their results and, in general, improve the care of our patients if we take into account the differences that exist in the progression of Parkinson’s disease due to sex and the different individual and social needs”, concludes the specialist.
Source: Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN)
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