Olfactory dysfunction evaluation is not affected by comorbid depression in Parkinson?s disease

MALCO ROSSI; SANTIAGO PEREZ LLORET; PATRICIO MILLAR VERNETTI; LUCAS DRUCAROFF

Estocolmo

Congreso; 18th International Congress of Parkinson?s Disease and Movement Disorders; 2014

Movement Disorders Society

Objective: To determine if depression is a confounding factor for some degree of hyposmia in Parkinson?s disease (PD).Background: Olfactory function assessment is an important screening tool to differentiate PD from other parkinsonisms and essential tremor. Depressive symptoms and hyposmia are frequent non-motor features and can develop many years prior to the onset of motor signs. Moreover, somatic symptoms of depression may mimic incipient PD. It is debated if olfaction is impaired in patients with major depressive disorder (MDE) and the relationship between hyposmia and depression in PD is unclear.Methods: Olfactory function was evaluated with Sniffin? Sticks test (SST) and Hyposmia Rating Scale (HRS) in a cross-sectional design that included 4 groups of consecutive age-matched subjects: PD (n=27), PD-MDE (n=29), MDE without PD (n=21) and healthy controls (n=32). Data was analyzed using chi-square test, logistic regression and ANCOVA corrected for age and gender, followed by Bonferroni.Results: No significant differences were found in disease duration, severity and dopaminergic medications between PD and PD-MDE. Total SST score was 29.8±1.1 in controls, 25.7±1.4 in MDE, 16.0±1.2 in PD and 15.9±1 in PD-MDE group. While the difference between both PD groups vs. other groups was significant (p