GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE

We examined data from 630 patients entered into the University of Kans as Medical Center's Parkinson's Disease (PD) Registry to determine if gender differences exist in terms of both cognitive and motor symptoms of PD. An analysis of the Mini-Mental State Examination scores indica ted slightly higher scores for women relative to men. Although women h ad significantly better scores than did men on the motor section of th e Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), they had a signifi cantly greater prevalence of dyskinesias compared with men. These moto r differences were significant only in patients with PD of greater tha n 5 years duration. There were no gender differences for age of diagno sis, Hoehn and Yahr Staging, Schwab and England Scale, or the mentatio n and activities of daily living sections of the UPDRS. We conclude th at as PD progresses, gender differences emerge, with men exhibiting mo re severe parkinsonian motor features and women experiencing more levo dopa-induced dyskinesia.