AUTONOMIC DISORDERS IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE

Patients with idiopatic Parkinson's disease (IPD) often show signs and symptoms of autonomic involvement, related to the disease itself or t o its progression. The more frequently disturbances reported are conne cted with loss of extrapyramidal motor control, i.e. dysphagia, gastri c emptying and the most common constipation. They concern about 73% of the patients. A high frequency of urinary symptoms, ranging from 37% to 71%, is also reported in IPD, in particular detrusor hyperreflexia causing urgency, frequency of micturing or urgency incontinence. Anoth er autonomic groups of symptoms are related to the failure of cardiopr essor adaptability which involve 15% of the subjects and are more typi cal of late onset cases or forms bordering with the Multiple System At rophy, finally resulting in orthostatic hypotension (OH).