Pramipexole reduces the prevalence of fatigue in patients with Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Objective The aim of this multicenter cross-sectional study was to assess the relation between fatigue in a large number of Japanese patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and drugs taken to treat PD. Method We used the 16-item Parkinson Fatigue Scale (PFS-16), which was designed to assess fatigue exclusively associated with PD. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relation between antiparkinson drugs and fatigue in PD. Results A total of 350 non-demented PD patients were enrolled. Fatigue (PFS score of ≥ 4) was revealed in 319 patients (91%). Pramipexole was administered to 24% of PD patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the administration of Pramipexole was significantly related to low rates of fatigue in PD patients with Hoehn and Yahr stage <3 (p=0.011, odds ratio=5.23, 95% confidence interval; 1.47-18.63). Conclusion The reduced fatigue in PD patients was observed in taking Pramipexole. 2011 The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine.