Pain in Parkinson's disease

Mov Disord. 2010:25 Suppl 1:S98-103. doi: 10.1002/mds.22716.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease is characterized primarily as a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to disabling motor and cognitive impairment. PD is less widely appreciated as a disease causing a substantial variety of pain syndromes, although the prevalence of pain in PD is approximately 40%. In a minority of patients, pain is so severe and intractable that it overshadows the motor symptoms of the disorder. In recent years, descriptive surveys of non-motor symptoms in PD have led to a classification of painful sensations into one or more of several categories: musculoskeletal pain, radicular or neuropathic pain, dystonia-related pain, akathitic discomfort, and primary, central parkinsonian pain. A framework for diagnosing and treating painful PD is described in this review, together with recent insignts into the neurophysiological mechanisms and substrates of pain in PD.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Pain / classification
  • Pain / etiology*
  • Parkinson Disease / complications*