More and more studies show how they evolve and have different manifestations depending on the sex of the patient. Pain or cardiovascular diseases are some areas where differences between men and women have been found.
And a new study from the COPPADIS project, promoted by the , which has been published in the journal ”, concludes that Parkinson’s disease does not affect men and women in the same way.
Specifically, neurology specialists point out that there are important differences in the symptoms of the disease depending on the sex of the patient, because it influences the mechanisms of the disease.
As he explains Dr Diego Santosmember of the Movement Disorders Study Group of the SEN and main author of this work
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“This is the first study carried out in Spain that analyzes the differences by sex in Parkinson’s disease in a large cohort of patients -410 men and 271 women- and it is one of the largest studies carried out to date in the world.”
“Different genetic, hormonal, neuroendocrine and molecular factors seem to be involved in the differences in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease between men and women”, explains the doctor.
“Because of this, we already know:
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That the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson’s disease is between 1.5 and 2 times higher in men than in women.
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That the onset of the disease in women is slightly later than in men.
But we believed it necessary to also see how these factors influence the motor and non-motor symptoms of the disease, the quality of life and the daily autonomy of our patients”.
Speech problems and stiffness are more common among men
Among the most notable differences that emerge from this study, the symptoms experienced by patients of either sex stand out.
Thus, the most frequent and/or severe Parkinson’s symptoms among women are:
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Depression.
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Fatigue.
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Pain.
In the case of men, the study indicates:
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Hypomimia (decrease in facial expression).
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Speech problems.
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The rigidity.
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hypersexuality.
But these are not the only differences.
In the short term, men with the disease show a greater tendency to develop greater disability related to the non-motor symptoms of the disease.
On the contrary, women see their functional capacity to carry out activities of daily living more affected and the perception of loss of quality of life is also generally higher in women.
Another difference that the study shows is that it seems that women receive, in general, lower doses of specific medication for Parkinson’s disease, although adjusting the dose for weight, no differences are observed between both genders.
Women also consume antidepressants and pain relievers more frequently.
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“In our analysis we have also detected many other differences between men and women with Parkinson’s disease. For example, that women are more likely to live alone, that they have a lower educational level, that they consume more drugs for other diseases, or that they have a greater risk of suffering from depression -almost double that of men-. On the contrary, certain harmful habits (such as smoking and alcohol consumption) are significantly more frequent in men”, comments Dr. Diego Santos.
“We believe that it is important to know all these differences, because we will be able to better adapt the treatments, better predict their results and, in general, improve the care of our patients if we take into account the differences that exist in the progression of Parkinson’s disease due to sex and the different individual and social needs”.