The East London Parkinson's Disease Project - A case-control study in a diverse population

BackgroundThere is a relative dearth of research on patients with Parkinsons disease (PD) from under-represented ethnic groups in the United Kingdom. ObjectivesThe East London Parkinson Disease project seeks to understand the clinical manifestations and determinants of PD in a diverse population. MethodsPatients with PD were recruited from the Royal London Hospital. Healthy controls came from community engagement events and partners of patients. Data on clinical features assessed by motor and non-motor scales were collected between January 2019 and February 2024, and compared between groups. Parametric, non-parametric tests, and unmatched logistic models, adjusted for age, gender and duration of disease were used. ResultsWe assessed 218 patients with PD and 90 controls. Among them, 50% of patients and 64% controls identified as South Asian or Black. Males comprised 63% of patients and 70% of controls. After adjusting for age, gender, disease duration and treatment burden, South Asian and Black patients had significantly worse motor scores compared to White patients (mean [SD], 42.2 [18.8], and 47 [16.6] vs 35.2 [16.4], p<0.001 and p<0.001). Cognitive impairment was more prevalent in South Asian (73%) and Black patients (75%) than in White patients (45%, p=0.002). ConclusionsOur results suggest that patients with PD from South Asian and Black ethnic groups may have more severe motor and certain non-motor features, including cognitive impairment, compared to White patients.