Increased likelihood of anxiety and poor sleep quality in Parkinson's disease patients with pain

Background: Pain is a bothersome non-motor symptom in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), but the relationships between PD, presence of pain, different pain characteristics, and other non-motor symptoms such as mood and sleep disturbances are unclear. Objective: To investigate the relationship between PD and pain as well as specific subtypes of pain with anxiety, depression and sleep quality. Methods: This cross-sectional case-control study included two groups of PD patients; one with (n = 37) and one without pain (n = 37). Healthy controls with (n = 37) and without pain (n = 37) were recruited and matched to the PD groups for age and gender. All participants completed questionnaires regarding pain, mood and sleep. Results: PD patients with pain showed significantly higher anxiety severity and poorer sleep quality than PD patients without pain. Compared to controls with pain, PD patients with pain had more anxiety, depression and worsened sleep quality. PD patients with pain were more likely to report akathisic, tension and sharp pain compared to controls with pain, but these three pain characteristics did not correlate with each other. There were no differences in depression, anxiety, or sleep between PD patients with akathisic, tension and sharp pain and those without. Conclusion: Pain in PD seems to be linked with specific pain characteristics (akathisic, tension and sharp pain) as well as heightened anxiety and worsened sleep quality. Integrative approach treatments which address pain in PD may also improve anxiety and sleep quality. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.