Is underweightness still a major problem in Parkinson's disease patients?
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the current rate of underweightness amongst Parkinson's disease (PD) patients at an Italian referral centre.


METHODS
Epidemiological study on consecutive patients presenting for the first time in a 16-month period.


METHODS
Nutritional service of PD referral centre in Milan, Italy.


METHODS
Three-hundred and sixty-four PD patients diagnosed according to CAPIT criteria.


METHODS
Anthropometric assessments: BMI and waist-to-hip ratio; evaluation of therapeutic physical activity (h/week).


RESULTS
Three-hundred and sixty-four patients were included (180 female, 184 male), mean (s.d.) age 65.9 (8.9) y, mean (s.d.) duration of PD 10.6 (5.3) y; 134 patients (37%) were overweight and 92 (25%) were obese; 11 (3%) were underweight; 127 (35%) had normal BMI. No important differences in BMI according to sex and smoking status were observed. There was highly significant inverse correlation between duration of disease and BMI (P<0.001): mean (s.d.) duration of disease was 9.7 (4.7) y in overweight+obese patients, 11.1 (5.5) y in patients with normal BMI and 14.1 (7.2) y in underweight patients (P=0.0059). The waist-to-hip ratio was a cardiovascular risk factor in 47.7% of men and 73.8% of women. Mean (s.d.) therapeutic physical activity was 1.07 (1.59) h/week in overweight and obese patients vs 1.61 (2.04) h/week in patients with normal BMI (50.5% increase; P=0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
At present underweightness is uncommon in PD patients in Italy; this may be due to the increase in the prevalence of overweightness in the Italian population and to modern antiparkinsonian therapy.
Barichella
M
M
Parkinson Institute, Istituti Clinici di Perfezionamento, Milan, Italy.
Marczewska
A
A
Vairo
A
A
Canesi
M
M
Pezzoli
G
G
D000368:Aged; D001824:Body Constitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012907:Smoking; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors