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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Patients with Parkinsons disease experience more pain than those without the disease, according to a new study.
For this study, researchers in Italy compared 402 patients with Parkinsons disease to 317 healthy individuals. Participants were asked questions about their age, date of diagnosis and pain symptoms that lasted for at least three months.
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Study authors report overall pain was more common among Parkinsons disease patients than among the healthy participants. Specifically, 70 percent of Parkinsons disease patients experienced pain compared to 63 percent in the healthy group. Some of the pain was attributable to dystonia or involuntary muscle contractions that Parkinsons patients often experience. But researchers say cramping and central neuropathic pains were also more frequent among Parkinsons disease patients than the other group.
Researchers say this study supports the fact that pain begins at the clinical onset of Parkinsons disease. They say the findings support the need for more studies aimed at understanding pain associated with Parkinsons disease and better treatment strategies.
SOURCE: Archives of Neurology, 2008;65:11191-1194
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