V-074
Evaluation of Orthostatic Hypotension and Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: Preliminary Results of a Cross-Sectional Study
Sofía Bordet1,2, Mauricio Benetti3, Francisco Capani1,4, Lina Grasso2, Isabela De Freitas Furletti2, Claudia Uribe Roca3, Santiago Perez Lloret2,5
  1. Centro de Altos Estudios en Ciencias Humanas y de la Salud. Universidad Abierta Interamericana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CAECIHS.UAI-CONICET
  2. Centro de Investigaciones en Psicología y Psicopedagogía (CIPP), Facultad de Psicología y Psicopedagogía, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA)
  3. Hospital Británico
  4. Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Chile
  5. Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA)
Presenting Author:
Sofía Bordet
sofiabordet@uca.edu.ar
In this cross-sectional study of 32 patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (mean age 67 years, 56% male, mean disease duration 5 years), we evaluated the association between orthostatic hypotension (OH) and mood symptoms. All participants completed the MDS-UPDRS, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Orthostatic Hypotension Questionnaire (OHQ), with orthostatic response measured by serial blood pressure and heart rate recordings. Mean BDI (10.0 ± 5.9) and BAI (8.8 ± 4.6) scores indicated mild depression and anxiety. No significant differences in depression or anxiety scores were observed between patients with or without OH (p = .86 in both cases). However, the severity of self-reported orthostatic symptoms correlated positively with anxiety levels (Pearson r = .49, p = .004; Spearman ρ = .53, p = .002), a finding that remained significant after adjusting for age, sex, and disease severity. Correlation with depression was positive but weaker and did not reach significance (Pearson r = .33, p = .061; Spearman ρ = .43, p = .014). These preliminary results suggest that while objective OH was not linked to mood disturbances, subjective orthostatic symptoms were associated with greater anxiety and, to a lesser extent, depression, underscoring the need to assess perceived autonomic symptoms in Parkinson’s care despite the study’s small sample size and measurement limitations.