Mild and marked executive dysfunction and falls in people with Parkinson's disease.

backgroundExecutive dysfunction and risk of falling are hallmarks of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, it is unclear how executive dysfunction predisposes people with PD to falling.

objectivesTo: (i) identify sensorimotor, balance, and cardiovascular risk factors for falls that discriminate between those with normal executive function and those with mild and marked executive dysfunction in people with PD and (ii) determine whether mild and marked executive dysfunction are significant risk factors for falls when adjusting for PD duration and severity and freezing of gait (FOG).

methodsUsing the Frontal Assessment Battery, 243 participants were classified into normal executive function (n = 87), mild executive dysfunction (n = 100), and marked executive dysfunction (n = 56) groups. Participants were asked if they had episodes of FOG in the last month and were assessed with the Movement Disorders Society - Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), the Hoehn and Yahr Scale, the physiological profile assessment, and tests of orthostatic hypotension, coordinated stability, and gait and were then followed-up prospectively for falls for 32-52 weeks.

resultsSeveral PD-specific (elevated Hoehn and Yahr stage, higher MDS-UPDRS scale scores, a history of FOG, Postural Instability and Gait Difficulty subtype, and longer PD duration), sensorimotor (poor vision, knee extension weakness, slow simple reaction time), and balance (greater postural sway and poor controlled leaning balance) factors discriminated among the normal executive function and mild and marked executive dysfunction groups. Fall rates (mean ± SD) differed significantly among the groups (normal executive function: 1.0 ± 1.7; mild executive dysfunction: 2.8 ± 5.2; marked executive dysfunction: 4.7 ± 7.3) with the presence of both mild and marked executive dysfunction identified as significant risk factors for falls when adjusting for three measures of PD severity (Hoehn and Yahr scale scores, disease duration, and FOG).

conclusionsSeveral PD-specific, sensorimotor, and balance factors differed significantly among the normal, mild, and marked executive dysfunction groups and both mild and marked executive dysfunction were identified as independent risk factors for falls in people with PD.