Dry mouth: an overlooked autonomic symptom of Parkinson's disease

J Parkinsons Dis. 2011;1(2):169-73. doi: 10.3233/JPD-2011-11021.

Abstract

There is involvement of salivary glands by α-synuclein pathology in PD. However, the prevalence of dry mouth has not been systematically assessed in these patients. We studied 97 PD patients and 86 controls using a structured questionnaire. Dry mouth was reported by 60.8% of PD patients and 27.9% of controls (p < 0.0001). Dry mouth and drooling coexisted in 30% of cases. Only 12% of patients had reported dry mouth to their physicians. Dry mouth is a frequent but underreported symptom and may be an early manifestation of autonomic involvement in PD.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antiparkinson Agents / therapeutic use
  • Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / etiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Levodopa / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mouth Diseases / drug therapy
  • Mouth Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Mouth Diseases / etiology*
  • Parkinson Disease / complications*
  • Parkinson Disease / drug therapy
  • Parkinson Disease / epidemiology
  • Prevalence
  • Sialorrhea / epidemiology
  • Sialorrhea / etiology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

  • Antiparkinson Agents
  • Levodopa