EAN 2021 | Sleep, mood & pain in PD patients treated with safinamide

Diego Santos-García, MD, PhD, Coruña University Hospital, Coruña, Spain, discusses safinamide in the context of sleep, mood, and pain in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. The study used different scales to assess those manifestations, including the Epworth sleepiness scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, Beck depression inventory-II, and King’s Parkinson’s disease pain scale. Results showed that nearly 60% of patients saw an improvement in sleep with safinamide from baseline to the six-month review. At baseline, 52% of patients presented with major depression, whereas at six months, only 32% of patients presented with major depression with a decrease in the Beck depression inventory-II of five points. Additionally, it a reduction was observed in the King’s Parkinson’s disease pain scale score. Factors that affected the quality of life (QoL) for PD patients were also analyzed. It was found that improvement in sleep, non-motor symptoms burden, and mood were key factors influencing the QoL in PD patients treated with safinamide. This interview took place during the European Academy of Neurology 2021 congress.