Research Article

The Frequency of Nonmotor Symptoms among Advanced Parkinson Patients May Depend on Instrument Used for Assessment

Table 1

Frequency of nonmotor symptoms. In the NMS-Q, at least 1 question in the category is “yes.” In the NMS-S, Severity “Frequency” is greater than 0 in at least 1 item in the subgroups.

NMS-QPatient evaluationCaregiver evaluationCorrelationP value
Percent prevalencePercent prevalence

Gastrointestinal87.9%81.8%0.530.002
Sleep84.9%90.9%0.620.0001
Urinary72.7%63.6%0.620.0001
Miscellaneous*69.7%69.7%0.540.001
Cognition63.6%66.7%0.460.007
Sexual54.6%57.1%0.420.03
Cardiovascular/falls54.6%42.4%0.360.04
Mood48.5%54.6%0.65
Perceptual**18.2%15.2%0.460.007

NMS-SPatient evaluationCaregiver evaluationCorrelationP value
Percent prevalence Percent prevalence

Sleep/Fatigue90.9%93.9%0.460.01
Gastrointestinal75.8%72.7%0.480.005
Mood75.8%72.7%0.550.0009
Miscellaneous***72.7%66.7%0.380.03
Cognition60.6%69.7%0.620.0001
Urinary57.6%48.5%0.470.01
Sexual45.5%53.6%0.500.01
Cardiovascular/falls45.5%33.3%0.390.02
Perceptual****18.2%15.2%0.400.02

*Refers to miscellaneous subset in NMS-Q that includes questions about change in smell, unexplained pain, unexplained weight change, swelling of legs, and excessive sweating.
**Refers to perceptual subset in NMS-Q that includes questions about diplopia and delusional thoughts.
***Refers to miscellaneous subset in NMS-S that includes questions about unexplained pain, change in smell, unexplained weight change, and excessive sweating.
****Refers to perceptual subset in NMS-S that includes questions about hallucinations, delusional beliefs, and diplopia.