Pain is an important and distressing symptom in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Our aim was to determine the prevalence of pain, its various types and characteristics, as well as its impact on depression and quality of life (QoL) in patients with PD. How pain differs in early- and advanced-stage PD and male and female PD patients was of special interest. One hundred PD patients on dopaminergic medications had a neurological examination and participated in a structured interview on pain characteristics and completed standardized questionnaires. A total of 76% of the patients had pain. The following types of pain were present: musculoskeletal pain accounted for 41% of the total pain, dystonic pain for 17%, central neuropathic pain for 22%, radicular pain for 27%, and other pains (non-radicular low back pain, arthritic, and visceral pain) made up 24%. One type of pain affected 29% of all the subjects, two types 35%, three types 10%, and four types of pain were reported by 2%. All types of pain were more prevalent in advanced-stage PD subjects than in early-stage PD subjects, except for arthritic pain (subclassified under”other pain”). The frequency and intensity of actual, average, and worst experienced pain were significantly more severe in advanced-stage subjects. PD subjects with general pain and in advanced stages were more depressed and had poorer QoL. Depression correlated with worst pain in the last 24 hours and with pain periodicity (the worst depression score in patients with constant pain). QoL correlated with average pain in the last 7 days. Pain is a frequent problem in PD patients, and it worsens during the course of the disease.

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) such as pathological gambling, compulsive shopping, compulsive eating, and hypersexuality are a matter of growing interest, especially in patients with Parkinson disease who are on dopamine replacement therapy. It was recently reported that ICDs are associated with other disorders also treated with dopaminergic drugs (dopamine agonists) such as restless legs syndrome, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, and fibromyalgia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of ICDs in patients with pituitary adenomas who take dopamine agonists (DAs). Twenty consecutive patients with pituitary adenomas (mostly prolactinomas) taking DAs were assessed. All participated in a structured interview focused on ICDs, which was conducted by a physician. Two (10%) of 20 subjects had a condition diagnosed as ICD. The first patient is a 35-year-old man with giant macroprolactinoma who was alternately treated with different types of DAs (cabergoline, bromocriptine, and quinagolide). He developed compulsive eating and pathological gambling. The second patient is a 53-year-old man with macroprolactinoma who suffered from severe hypersexuality after cabergoline was begun. This study demonstrates the importance of systematic screening for ICDs in patients taking dopaminergic medication regardless of their primary condition.

Background: The 8-hydroxy-2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is a product of nucleoside oxidation of DNA and a reliable marker of oxidative stress markers. Increased levels of oxidative stress have been reported in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with various neurodegenerative disorders. Objective: In search of a biochemical indicator of Parkinson’s disease (PD), we analyzed the levels 8-OHdG in the CSF of 99 patients, using ELISA to assess the differences between various neurodegenerative disorders. Results: Statistically significant higher CSF levels (p = 0.022) of 8-OHdG in non-demented PD patients as compared to the control group were observed. No differences between CSF 8-OHdG levels and age at the time of lumbar puncture, presence or severity of dementia, or gender were found. Conclusions: 8-OHdG levels could be potentially useful in the neurochemically supported diagnosis of PD.