Current best evidence for clinical care (more info)
Parkinson's disease (PD) patients who contracted Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) had a decline in motor functions; nevertheless, there is limited evidence on whether PD patients have a higher risk for contracting Covid-19 or have worse outcomes. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to review the impact of PD on the prognosis of Covid-19 patients. We performed a systematic search through seven electronic databases under the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses statement (PRISMA) guidelines. The R software version 4.0.2 was used to calculate pooled sample sizes and their associated confidence intervals (95%CI). Finally, we included 13 papers in this study. The pooled prevalence rate of Covid-19 was 2.12% (95%CI: 0.75-5.98). Fever, cough, fatigue and anorexia were the most common symptoms with a rate of 72.72% (95% CI: 57.3 - 92.29), 66.99% (95% CI: 49.08-91.42), 61.58% (95% CI: 46.69-81.21) and 52.55% (95% CI: 35.09-78.68), respectively. The pooled rates were 39.89% (95% CI: 27.09-58.73) for hospitalisation, 4.7% (95% CI: 1.56-14.16) for ICU admission and 25.1% (95%CI: 16.37-38.49) for mortality. On further comparison of hospitalisation and mortality rates among Covid-19 patients with and without PD, there were no significant differences. In conclusion, the prevalence and prognosis of Covid-19 patients seem comparable in patients with PD and those without it. The increased hospitalisation and mortality may be attributed to old age and co-morbidities.
| Discipline / Specialty Area | Score |
|---|---|
| Hospital Doctor/Hospitalists | |
| Internal Medicine | |
| Neurology | |
This is a good systematic review. The systematic ways on finding and appraising the evidence are very important. The authors have provided clear information about the selection process of this study. The information mostly came from low to moderate quality studies. This review concluded that PD patients with Covid-19 infections have relatively high mortality and hospital admission rates. However, the impact of PD on these outcomes was not statistically significant. This review is very important for neurologist during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further review and studies with better methodology are warranted.
We must be aware of sequelae and complications of COVID-19, mainly in certain vulnerable populations. Results provided help PC physicians and specialists to offer better information about prognosis to patients and families and follow closely the clinical progression in Parkinson patients.