AKATHISIA IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE

This study evaluated the prevalence and clinical characteristics of ak athisia in a tertiary care Parkinson's disease (PD) practice, and asse ssed the agreement between investigators for the diagnosis of akathisi a in PD, and the sensitivity and specificity of a brief patient questi onnaire. Fifty-six consecutive PD patients completed an akathisia ques tionnaire and then were clinically evaluated for akathisia by two exam iners blinded to the patient questionnaire. Overall, 45% of PD patient s had akathisia as determined by clinical evaluation. Interrater relia bility for the diagnosis of akathisia was high (K = 0.89). Patient sel f-report of restlessness agreed with examiner diagnosis in 89% of the patients. The presence of akathisia was associated with the severity a nd age of onset of PD. Symptoms most frequently affected the legs, and associated movements were suppressible for brief periods.