Onset of Postural Instability in Parkinson’s Disease Depends on Age rather than Disease Duration

Background. Postural instability and falls are considered a major factor of impaired quality of life in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). The knowledge of the time at which postural instability occurs will help to provide the evidence required to introduce fall-prevention strategies a...

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Main Authors: Denise Becker, Angelina Maric, Simon J. Schreiner, Fabian Büchele, Christian R. Baumann, Daniel Waldvogel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Parkinson's Disease
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/6233835
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author Denise Becker
Angelina Maric
Simon J. Schreiner
Fabian Büchele
Christian R. Baumann
Daniel Waldvogel
author_facet Denise Becker
Angelina Maric
Simon J. Schreiner
Fabian Büchele
Christian R. Baumann
Daniel Waldvogel
author_sort Denise Becker
collection DOAJ
description Background. Postural instability and falls are considered a major factor of impaired quality of life in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). The knowledge of the time at which postural instability occurs will help to provide the evidence required to introduce fall-prevention strategies at the right time in PD. Objective. To investigate whether postural instability of patients with different age at disease onset is associated with age or with disease duration of PD. Methods. Patients diagnosed with sporadic PD between 1991 and 2017 and postural instability (according to the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) part III, item 3.12 postural instability) were included, with strict inclusion criteria including regular follow-ups, agreement on data use, and exclusion of comorbidities affecting the free stand. Results. Applying these strict inclusion criteria, we included 106 patients. Those younger than 50 years at PD onset took significantly longer to develop postural instability (n = 23 patients, median: 18.4 years) compared with patients with later onset of PD (50–70 years, n = 66, median: 14.2 years, p<0.001; and >70 years, n = 17, median: 5.7 years, p<0.001, Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dunn’s multiple comparisons test). There was no association between total MDS-UPDRS III (as a measure of motor symptom severity) at onset of postural instability. Conclusions. In PD, postural instability is primarily associated with the age of the patient and not with disease duration.
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spelling doaj-art-1ffbc25510a64050b12ea1128538409e2025-08-20T03:54:43ZengWileyParkinson's Disease2042-00802022-01-01202210.1155/2022/6233835Onset of Postural Instability in Parkinson’s Disease Depends on Age rather than Disease DurationDenise Becker0Angelina Maric1Simon J. Schreiner2Fabian Büchele3Christian R. Baumann4Daniel Waldvogel5Department of NeurologyDepartment of NeurologyDepartment of NeurologyDepartment of NeurologyDepartment of NeurologyDepartment of NeurologyBackground. Postural instability and falls are considered a major factor of impaired quality of life in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). The knowledge of the time at which postural instability occurs will help to provide the evidence required to introduce fall-prevention strategies at the right time in PD. Objective. To investigate whether postural instability of patients with different age at disease onset is associated with age or with disease duration of PD. Methods. Patients diagnosed with sporadic PD between 1991 and 2017 and postural instability (according to the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) part III, item 3.12 postural instability) were included, with strict inclusion criteria including regular follow-ups, agreement on data use, and exclusion of comorbidities affecting the free stand. Results. Applying these strict inclusion criteria, we included 106 patients. Those younger than 50 years at PD onset took significantly longer to develop postural instability (n = 23 patients, median: 18.4 years) compared with patients with later onset of PD (50–70 years, n = 66, median: 14.2 years, p<0.001; and >70 years, n = 17, median: 5.7 years, p<0.001, Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dunn’s multiple comparisons test). There was no association between total MDS-UPDRS III (as a measure of motor symptom severity) at onset of postural instability. Conclusions. In PD, postural instability is primarily associated with the age of the patient and not with disease duration.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/6233835
spellingShingle Denise Becker
Angelina Maric
Simon J. Schreiner
Fabian Büchele
Christian R. Baumann
Daniel Waldvogel
Onset of Postural Instability in Parkinson’s Disease Depends on Age rather than Disease Duration
Parkinson's Disease
title Onset of Postural Instability in Parkinson’s Disease Depends on Age rather than Disease Duration
title_full Onset of Postural Instability in Parkinson’s Disease Depends on Age rather than Disease Duration
title_fullStr Onset of Postural Instability in Parkinson’s Disease Depends on Age rather than Disease Duration
title_full_unstemmed Onset of Postural Instability in Parkinson’s Disease Depends on Age rather than Disease Duration
title_short Onset of Postural Instability in Parkinson’s Disease Depends on Age rather than Disease Duration
title_sort onset of postural instability in parkinson s disease depends on age rather than disease duration
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/6233835
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