AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE

Whereas visual hallucinations are often found among patients with Park inson's disease, the occurrence of auditory hallucinations has never b een systematically documented. The occurrence, past and present, of au ditory hallucinations has been studied in 121 consecutive patients wit h Parkinson's disease attending a movement disorders clinic. The cogni tive state was evaluated using the short mental test (SMT). Hallucinat ions were reported for 45 patients (37%); 35 (29%) had only visual hal lucinations and 10 (8%) both visual and auditory hallucinations. No pa tient reported auditory hallucinations unaccompanied by visual halluci nations. The auditory hallucinations occurred repeatedly, consisting o f human voices. They were non-imperative (n=9), non-paranoid (n=9), an d often incomprehensible (n=5). They were not obviously influenced by the patients' age, duration of disease, or treatment with levodopa. Co gnitive impairment was more common among hallucinating patients (64%, 50%, and 25% among patients with visual hallucinations, auditory hallu cinations, and non-hallucinating parkinsonian patients respectively). Depression necessitating antidepressants was present in five of 10 and other psychotic features in six patients with auditory hallucinations . It is concluded that auditory hallucinations occur in Parkinson's di sease, particularly in patients who also have visual hallucinations an d are cognitively impaired.