A recent study shows that Parkinson’s disease can present one symptom or another depending on the sex of the patient. Genetic, hormonal, neuroendocrine, and molecular factors may be responsible for these differences.
Sex is a differential criterion in the Parkinson’s patient: Men and women do not present the same symptoms.
That is one of the main conclusions that a study Made in spain with a sample of 681 patientswhich sought to find out how motor and non-motor symptoms, in addition to the patient’s quality of life, can vary depending on this variable.
This research, promoted by the Movement Disorders Study Group (GETM) of the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN) and published in the magazine “Journal of Clinical Medicine“, is the first study that analyzes the disease from this prism. Made in Spain is one of the most important worldwide.
So it determines Diego Santos, lead author of the study and member of the GETM, who explains the reason behind this premise.
“Different genetic, hormonal, neuroendocrine, and molecular factors seem to be involved in the differences in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease between men and women,” says the expert.
Therefore it is known that the iThe incidence and prevalence of Parkinson’s disease is between 1.2 and 2 times higher in men that in women and that the disease onset in women is slightly later that in men, the question is to know how all this influences the patient.
Sex as a differential criterion
Thus, based on the analysis of the differences between 410 men y 210 womenthe study tries to answer the proposed hypothesis.
Some of the conclusions of this study are listed below.
In the case of women
The most frequent symptoms in women are…
- Depression. It is estimated that women have almost double the odds to suffer from depression than men. Hence, in women the consumption of antidepressants y benzodiazepines (used for anxiety, insomnia and seizures).
- Fatigue. Women are more likely to suffer from functional disabilityi.e. problems engines that condition their day to day.
- Pain. Intrinsically related to the aforementioned functional disability. It is also more common in the feminine sex the consumption of analgesicsalthough lower doses. Although, yes, if the patient’s weight is taken into account, the dose is proportional.
In the case of men
On the other hand, when talking about men, it can be seen that the patient’s profile usually presents smoking or increased alcohol consumption. Apart from this, the most common symptoms are usually linked to problems not engines as:
- It doesn’t measure. Hypomimia, that is, decreased facial expression, is one of the most common Parkinson’s symptoms in males.
- speech problems. Problems in speech rhythm, form, or speech (more monotonous, with distinct patterns).
- Rigidity. This stiffness can occur anywhere in the body.
- hypersexuality. It is another of the non-motor problems that certain individuals with Parkinson’s have.
The importance of studying these differences
EFE/Juan Herrero.The SEN highlights the value of study the differences between men and women.
And it is that if you do not present comparable symptoms or live in the same way, the treatment cannot be the same.
The key, says Dr. Santos, is delve into the differences.
“We believe that it is important to know all these differences because we will be able to better adapt the treatments, better predict their results and, in general, improve the care of our patients,” says the expert.
Because the greater the knowledge of the differences that exist in the progression of Parkinson’s by sex and individual and social needs, further progress in the field.