Investigating the status of Parkinson's disease symptoms during travel and climbing to altitude

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common type of neurological hypokinetic disease in the elderly. Some studies show that climbing to high altitude and staying in hypoxic environments can affect the symptoms of these patients. The aim of this study was to determine the symptoms of Parkinson's disease during travel and climbing to altitude. Materials and methods: Seventy patients with PD were included in this study. The general information of patients, PD symptoms and the impact of environmental factors during the last month were reviewed on them. In addition, the history of travel during the last 3 months or 2 years was examined and changes in PD symptoms, the impact of health-threatening problems of the patients, and their lifestyle were determined. Results: In evaluating the symptoms of the disease in 70 patients with PD, ninty percent of patients experienced an increase in symptoms under stress. PD symptoms decreased in 22 PD patients with different travel destinations, and four patients reported that their symptoms increased. Fiftheen patients had the experience of staying at an altitude above 2000 meters and five patients experienced a reduction in PD symptoms.