Impaired chemosensitivity and perception of dyspnoea in Parkinson's disease

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) Vol. 356; no. 9231; pp. 739 - 740
• Main Authors: Onodera, Hiroshi, Okabe, Shinichi, Kikuchi, Yoshihiro, Tsuda, Takehide, Itoyama, Yasuto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Ltd 26.08.2000; Lancet; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Awareness; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon dioxide; Cardiovascular diseases; Case-Control Studies; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Dyspnea - complications; Female; Humans; Hypercapnia - complications; Hypoxia; Hypoxia - complications; Linear Models; Male; Medical research; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurology; Parkinson Disease - complications; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson's disease; Perception; Regression analysis; Renal function; Respiratory function; Respiratory Function Tests; Respiratory system; Rigidity; Spirometry; Statistical analysis; Human; Lung disease; Nervous system diseases; Oxygen; Pneumonia; Pathophysiology; Respiratory disease; Parkinson disease; Cerebral disorder; Infection; Hypercapnia; Dyspnea; Lung function; Ventilatory response; Respiratory failure; Central nervous system disease; Bacteriosis; Complication; Hypoxia; Perception; Degenerative disease; Extrapyramidal syndrome
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02638-6

Exacerbation of respiratory failure in Parkinson's disease could be the result of impaired perception of hypoxia. We assessed chemosensitivity to hypoxia and hypercapnia and perception of dyspnoea on the Borg scale in 25 patients (Hoehn and Yahr stage 2–3) and 11 controls. Chemosensitivity to hypoxia, but not that in response to hypercapnia, was lower in patients than in controls (0·196 [SE 0·030] vs 0·525 [0·360]; p=0·012); the mean Borg score was lower in patients than in controls under hypoxic conditions (2·9 [SD 1·4] vs 4·8 [2·1]; p=0·0015). Thus, even at an early stage of disease, patients with Parkinson's disease had a subnormal hypoxic response accompanied by blunted perception of dyspnoea.