Delay in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in a Chilean public hospital Latencia diagnóstica en la enfermedad de Parkinson. Estudio en 200 pacientes de novo en un hospital público de Chile

Abstract

© 2015, Sociedad Medica de Santiago. All rights reserved. Background: Early diagnosis is fundamental in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) to improve their quality of life. Aim: To determine the latency in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) after the onset of motor symptoms. Patients and Methods: Prospective study carried out during 16 months in a public hospital. Two hundred newly diagnosed patients aged 41 to 90 years (50% women), were included and analyzed. Results: The lapse between the first symptom -more commonly tremor- and the diagnosis made by a neurologist ranged from 1 to 84 months (19.1 ± 13.8). In 39% of patients, it was done in the first year, in 26% during the second year and in 35% of patients, it took more than two years. The referral by a general practitioner had a delay ranging from 1 to 36 months. Sixty nine and 95% of patients were evaluated within the first 6 months after referral if they came from primary care or the same hospital, respectively. Twenty