Some people in the later stages of Parkinson’s can experience hallucinations – “when you see, hear or feel things that aren’t there”. With most research into this topic centred on visual hallucinations, a team in Australia set out to investigate data around non-visual hallucinations in people with the condition.
Published in the ‘Journal of Neurology’, the analysis drew on 91 relevant studies released between 1970 and 2022. The team found that visual hallucinations appeared to be most common, with an expected prevalence of up to 96.6%. Meanwhile, non-visual hallucinations – including auditory (relating to the sense of hearing) and olfactory (relating to the sense of smell) – had an estimated prevalence of up to 73.3%.
Concluding that non-visual hallucinations may “impact a notable proportion” of people with the condition, the team said: “More direct research and clinical attention need to be devoted to the study and management of such hallucinatory experiences.”
