Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

  Background: The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) using a Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) as a measure.

  Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 consecutive patients with PD who referred to Tehran University of Medical Sciences Hospitals were enrolled. The PDQ-39 was used for evaluation. Statistical tests like ANOVA, t-test and Spearman rank correlations were used to assess the relationship between duration and clinical stage of disease and the quality of life.

  Results: The mean age of the patients was 57.32years (10.5 SD). 135(67.5%) were male and 65(32.5%) female. Most of the patients (46/5%) were in mild stage. The results showed total effect of PD on patient`s quality of life, on dimensions that measured by PDQ-39. The mean of Parkinson`s disease summary index (PDSI) was 35/17 ± 15/43.Also severity (p=0.008) and duration (p=0.0001) of disease had a significant effect on Quality of life. Quality of life deteriorated significantly with increasing disease

  Conclusion: Paying attention to other dimensions of quality of life than clinical symptoms is suggested to improve health related quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease.