title: Anxiety and self-perceived health status in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Both anxiety and depression are associated with lower self-perceived health status (HS) in persons with Parkinson's disease (PD). Given the high co-morbidity with depression and other non-motor symptoms, it is unclear whether anxiety disorders, in general, versus specific anxiety subtypes have an independent effect on HS in PD. To examine this question, comprehensive assessments of motor and non-motor symptoms from 249 subjects with idiopathic PD followed in three community-based movement disorders neurology practices were analyzed. HS was measured using the 8-item PD Questionnaire (PDQ-8). Psychiatric diagnoses were established by consensus using a panel of six psychiatrists with expertise in geriatric psychiatry and movement disorders. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were used, with the PDQ-8 score as the dependent variable, to identify independent predictors of HS among motor, psychiatric, and other non-motor variables. Among the anxiety disorders, only anxiety associated with motor fluctuations was an independent predictor of HS after accounting for co-morbid depression and other clinical features. In addition, depressive disorders were also an independent predictor of lower HS. Prevention or treatment of state-dependent anxiety may improve HS in persons with PD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. gponton1@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Gregory M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Pontone
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chase
authors.forename: Susanne R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grill
authors.forename: Elaina S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: Russell L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Margolis
authors.forename: Peter V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Rabins
authors.forename: Howard D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marsh
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires