Associations between Constipation and Use of Levodopa with Nutritional Status, Polypharmacy, and Stage of Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a highly prevalent disease characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms; the latter include constipation, which is considered a prodromal symptom. On the other hand, sarcopenia, polypharmacy, and malnutrition due to deficits are common in PD and lead to poorer health and quality of life. Objective: to associate constipation and use of levodopa with nutritional status, sarcopenia, duration and stage of the disease, and polypharmacy in individuals with PD. Materials and methods: analytical cross-sectional observational study where an online survey was applied to 161 people suffering from PD. Results: a significant association is observed between constipation and BMI (p = 0.022), as well as between the use of levodopa with BMI (p = 0.049) and polypharmacy (p = 0.046). On the other hand, there is a relationship between the average time of PD diagnosis and constipation (p = 0.0047). Finally, there is a relationship between SARC-F score applied to those over 60 years of age (p = 0.0446) and the use of levodopa. Having sarcopenia, being overweight, and having had the disease for less than five years is associated with a higher probability of experiencing constipation, according to the logistic regression analysis (p > 0.005). Conclusion: nutritional assessment and subsequent follow-up is of vital importance to avoid complications that could be associated with levodopa use, constipation, and sarcopenia.