Depressive symptoms and perception of quality of life in Parkinson's disease

Background: Depression has been proposed as a major contributor to poor quality of life (QoL) in Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective: To evaluate the relationship between depressive symptoms and QoL in subjects with PD. Method: Beck Depression Inventary (BDI) was used to evaluate depressive symptoms and Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PDQ-39) to assess the perception of the QoL. Results: Thirty seven patients (19 male/ 18 female) with a typical onset PD and mean disease duration of 7.7 years were studied. Higher scores on BDI correlated with poorer perception of the QoL. This association occurred at the expense of the following PDQ39 domains: mobility, activities of daily living, social support, cognition and emotional well-being dimensions. PD severity also correlated with QoL. Conclusion: Our study corroborates the assumption that depressive symptoms contributed significantly to QoL in PD.