Parkinson Disease Pain More Severe in Women

Pain intensity was higher in women compared with men with Parkinson disease (PD), according to study findings published in the Journal of Integrative Neuroscience. Additionally, women were more likely to experience fluctuation-related pain and orofacial pain, as well as discoloration and edema.

The study included 92 women and 108 men with PD from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University in China. Researchers analyzed patient data on demographic and clinical features, including age, gender, disease duration, and the use of anti-Parkinson medication.

Clinical assessment included motor disability (the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III, disease severity (the Hoehn-Yahr [H&Y] scale), pain (King’s Parkinson’s disease Pain Scale [KPPS]), global cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]), affective disorders (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and daily life (Activities of Daily Living scale).

The study found no significant differences between female and male patients in terms of age, PD duration, levodopa equivalent daily dose, and H&Y stage—or on motor disability, depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and activities of daily living scores.

Women scored lower on global cognitive function than men (MMSE 24.8 ± 3.4 vs 26.4 ± 2.3), however, and they had higher pain scores (KPSS 22.8 ± 31.1 vs 14.5 ± 22.8), according to the study. By KPSS domain, scores for chronic pain, fluctuation-related pain, orofacial pain, and discoloration and edema were significantly higher in women.

“In the 14 items for KPPS,” added researchers, “female Parkinson disease patients also had higher scores than males for central pain, visceral pain, dyskinetic pain, ‘off’ period pain, restless leg syndrome, teeth grinding during the night, burning mouth syndrome, burning pain in the limbs, and generalized lower abdominal pain than those of males group.”

Reference:
Gao L, Yang Y, Cai L, Xiong Y. Gender differences in pain subtypes among patients with Parkinson’s disease. J Integr Neurosci. 2022;21(4):120. doi:10.31083/j.jin2104120