Akathisia in Parkinson’s Disease: A Comperative Cross-sectional Study

Objective: Akathisia is frequently seen as a drug side-effect. In Parkinson’s disease (PD), it is relatively understudied. Moreover, few studies investigating akathisia differ concerning the assessment methods and prevalence rates, indicating a need for an objective approach. Our aim is to determine the prevalence of akathisia with an objective assessment tool and to investigate its relationship with neuropsychiatric symptoms and suicidal tendency.
Materials and Methods: One-hundred-one patients with PD and 75 age-and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled. Patients and controls were compared in terms of the presence of akathisia. Further, patients with and without akathisia were compared with regard to disease stage, severity, peak dose dyskinesia, suicide probability, presence of anxiety, and depression using validated tools.
Results: Akathisia was more frequent in patients with PD than in controls (6.9 vs. 0% p=0.02). Patients with akathisia scored worse in unified PD rating scalepart II (experiences of daily living) and reported anxiety and dyskinesia more frequently. The probability of suicidality was similar in patients with or without akathisia.
Conclusion: Our findings reveal that akathisia is more frequent in patients with PD than controls, and is associated with anxiety.