Occurrence of spleen qi deficiency as defined by Chinese medicine in Parkinson disease

Objective: To investigate the frequency of deficiency of spleen qi (DSQ) in persons with Parkinson disease (PD) as well as the correlation between DSQ and PD. Methods: This study comprised three parts: determining the frequency of DSQ in participants with PD; comparing the frequency of DSQ in PD and non-PD participants; and monitoring DSQ in participants with PD for 24 weeks. Outcome measurements were a modified DSQ scale and the Chinese version of the Parkinson Disease Questionnaire 39 (C-PDQ39). Results: A total of 187 participants with PD (mean ages 69.9 ± 9.6 years) completed the assessment in Part 1. Of these, 170 (90.9%) were diagnosed as having DSQ. Thirty non-PD participants (mean ages 66.6 ± 10.2 years) completed the assessment in Part 2. Of these 11 (36.7%) were diagnosed as having DSQ. Positive correlations between total DSQ score and Hoehn-and-Yahr (H&Y) stage (correlation 0.316; P < .001), as well as between DSQ and total C-PDQ39 score (correlation 0.572; P < .001), were observed. For Part 3, 47 participants from Part 1 were observed for 24 weeks. Variation in DSQ symptoms was noted, but all participants developed DSQ by the end of the study. Conclusions: DSQ is 2.5 times higher in PD participants than in the non-PD participants. More PD participants had DSQ in the advanced H&Y stages. A larger study is needed to validate these results on the prevalence of DSQ in persons with PD.