engleski

The importance of nutrition for symptom management of Parkinson disease patients

Parkinson’s diseases is a chronic degenerative disease of the brain resulting from a defect of numerous brain cells. Risk increases with age and currently 1 % of people older than 60 years live with the diagnosis. Causes still haven’t been clarified, but etiology includes heavy metals, toxins, insecticides and herbicides, and inherited genetic mutations. As one of the first symptom, loss of smell and taste occur. The disease is followed by a number of motoric and non-motoric symptoms, which significantly affect patients’ quality of life. Except for the need of increased intake of unsaturated fatty acids, no clear dietary guidelines have been set. However, considering the symptoms of the disease, especially those that related with the gastrointestinal system (e.g. constipation), clearly consumption of specific food groups could significantly improve patients’ quality of life. Additionally, newest findings imply high risk of undernourishment and malnutrition among Parkinson’s disease patients. An observational study was conducted on Parkinson’s disease patients at the Department of Neurology, University Hospital Centre Osijek (N=30). The main aim was to determine patients’ level of knowledge on the importance of nutrition adapted to the disease, and to determine whether patients need education about nutrition. The average age of patients was 66 years (46 to 83 years), 48 % males 52 % females, with average disease diagnosis of 6 years (from just diagnosed to 16 years). Out of symptoms that follow Parkinson’s disease, patients said that for every-day life the biggest issue represent constipation (31.7 %), mood change (24.4 %), problems with swallowing (22.0 %), and sleeping and blood pressure problems (21.9 %). 36 % of patients think their diet is not adequately adapted for their disease, while 68 % of them think that their knowledge is very low regarding diet for their disease. Even 96 % of patients said they want to learn more about diet customized to their disease. The results clearly show the need for education of patients with primary aim to alter symptoms of the disease that significantly affect patients' every-day life.

Parkinson’s disease, symptoms, education, patient's knowledge, diet therapy

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