Non-motor symptoms in prodromal Parkinson's disease are linked to reduced quality of life.

Abstract

Isolated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) highlights an early α-synucleinopathy. This study compared health-related quality of life (hrQoL) in 62 individuals with iRBD with 19 healthy controls (HC) and 29 individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) and identified factors linked to poorer hrQoL. HrQoL was significantly lower in individuals with iRBD (83.33 ± 16.96) compared to HC (92.29 ± 5.49, p = 0.027). Poorer hrQoL in individuals with iRBD was linked to severity of multiple non-motor symptoms, most prominently fatigue and depressive symptoms being significant predictors (p < 0.001, adjusted R² = 0.81). This study highlights the importance of non-motor symptoms for hrQoL in prodromal PD.