A review from the ‘British Medical Journal’ has found that neuropsychiatric symptoms – which encompass neurological and psychiatric conditions – may be more common in people with Parkinson’s than previously thought.
The researchers analysed data across 100 articles on neuropsychiatric conditions, such as dementia, anxiety, psychosis and impulse control-related disorders, along with data from randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses.
According to the researchers, the analysis showed that many neuropsychiatric conditions have a cumulative frequency of over 50% in people with Parkinson’s. Among these conditions is dementia, which was found to impact 80% of people with Parkinson’s in the long term.
The study made several recommendations for further research, including measures to improve diagnosis and screening. In their conclusion, the authors wrote: “The biggest unmet need is the availability of efficacious treatments; therefore, future research efforts need to focus on the development and testing of novel treatments.”
