Small (autonomic) and large fiber neuropathy in Parkinson disease and parkinsonism

摘要

Background Recent studies have reported that peripheral neuropathy (PN) is common in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and raised the possibility that levodopa neurotoxicity is the main culprit. Methods We evaluated the presence of large & small (autonomic) fiber PN in 54 consecutive patients with PD or parkinsonism in a tertiary outpatient clinic from Brazil. Initial PN screening consisted of history/neurological exam and skin wrinkling test (SWT). In addition, we also performed Nerve conduction studies/Electromyography (NCS/EMG) in all patients with PN signs/symptoms and/or abnormal SWT. Results Thirty eight patients with PD (10 women, mean age: 63?±?2.1?years, P Conclusions Large fiber and small (autonomic) fiber PN are common in patients with PD and parkinsonism. The etiology for the neuropathy was likely to be multifactorial and may be secondary to PD itself.