Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40003677›Full record

ArticleLife (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Association of Chronic Pain with Motor Symptom Severity in Parkinson's Disease: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Niels Pacheco-Barrios, Vivian D B Gagliardi, Roberta R Grudtner, Iloba Gabriel Njokanma, Ben Illigens, John D Rolston, Felipe Fregni, Kevin Pacheco-Barrios

Abstract read
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Article in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Niels Pacheco-BarriosCarrera de Medicina Humana, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima 15067, Peru.ORCID 0000-0001-5586-8251
Vivian D B GagliardiHospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo 05652-900, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-3182-5147
Roberta R GrudtnerSão Pedro Psychiatric Hospital, Secretaria Estadual da Saúde Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90450-190, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-4873-6706
Iloba Gabriel NjokanmaLagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos 100271, Nigeria.ORCID 0000-0001-9173-3661
Ben IlligensDepartment of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02130, USA.
John D RolstonDepartment of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02130, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8843-5468
Felipe FregniNeuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02130, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1703-7526
Kevin Pacheco-BarriosNeuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02130, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundParkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor symptoms like bradykinesia, tremor, rigidity, and postural instability. Additionally, PD severely impacts physical abilities and independence. Chronic pain, affecting 67.6% of PD patients, varies in form and presentation, and it is often underdiagnosed.

objectivesThis study investigated the association between chronic pain and motor symptom severity in PD patients.

methodsThis analysis used data from a cross-sectional study on 52 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients conducted at Jena University Hospital, Germany. The dataset, available on Dryad, included demographics; clinical reports; and assessments of coping strategies, quality of life, and pain. Descriptive statistics, a bivariate analysis, and an ordinal logistic regression model were executed to explore the association between pain and motor symptom severity (MSS). A direct acyclic graph was used to represent the relationship between variables and identify potential confounders, and an outcomes definition sensitivity analysis was used to assess the impact of using pain intensity as an outcome. The E-value was calculated to evaluate the strength of association needed by an unmeasured confounder to nullify the observed association.

resultsA total of 50 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients were included, with 64% being male, with an average age of 76.1 years. The sample included 20 patients without pain and 30 with chronic pain. The bivariate analysis did not identify significant differences in disease duration, cognitive function, and non-motor symptoms between pain and no-pain groups. However, significant differences (

conclusionsChronic pain is strongly associated with MSS in PD patients, with a more pronounced effect as MSS progresses from medium to severe, supporting a dose-response relationship. Effect sizes suggest a robust association, emphasizing the need for pain assessment in managing motor symptoms in PD.

Indexed as

chronic painmotor functionParkinson’s disease

Identifiers

PMID40003677
PMCPMC11856776

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