Does Depression Contribute to the Bladder and Bowel Complaint in Parkinson's Disease Patients?

Background The question of whether depression contributes to the bladder and bowel complaint in Parkinson's disease (PD) has not been addressed. Objectives We studied bladder, bowel and sexual symptoms in PD patients with/without depression. Methods We had 267 referred PD patients: age 68.3 +/- 7.7 years, 150 men, 117 women. We divided them into those with/without depression and performed the pelvic function questionnaires including bladder, bowel and sexual items; for example, OABSS, IPSS, and a pelvic organ questionnaire). Results The patient age, sex ratio, disease duration, Hoehn-Yahr motor grade, and cognitive score were not significantly different between the PD with depression (n = 35, 13.1%) and PD without depression (n = 232, 86.9%) groups. Regarding bladder, bowel and sexual complaints, significant difference was noted in constipation (P = 0.000854) and sensation of residual urine (P = 0.04820) items. Conclusions Our PD patients with depression showed significantly more common constipation and sensation of residual urine compared to the patients with PD alone, suggesting that depression contributes to the bladder and bowel complaint in PD patients.

Automated summary

This study found that Parkinson's disease patients with depression were more likely to experience constipation and sensation of residual urine, suggesting that depression may exacerbate bladder and bowel symptoms in PD patients.