| dc.description.abstract | The first part of this thesis is a general theoretical overview of Parkinson’s disease, its symptoms, and fluctuations in those symptoms. The second part comprises a description of the study of existing literature and the pilot study that were conducted as components of the thesis. The primary aim of this thesis is to investigate the relationship between levodopa-dependent motor fluctuations and non-motor fluctuations in Parkinson’s disease patients. The obvious symptoms - bradykinesia, tremors, reduced swing of arms, rigidity, altered posture, and imbalance - are well known and were already addressed by James Parkinson in 1817. However, Parkinson’s disease also results in other, non-motor symptoms. These ‘hidden’ symptoms nevertheless trouble patients, and may even have an equal or more severe negative impact on the quality of life that the patients experience. The pilot study of this thesis is a component of a larger research project taking place at Ahus. It is conducted by assessing patients using the validated screening tools, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Statistical analyses are performed with SPSS 25 statistical analysis software. Due to a small size of the cohort, the pilot study does not provide statistically significant data. However, the results correlate well with previous studies with larger cohorts. The thesis emphasises the need for increased scientific attention to the relationship between fluctuations in non-motor symptoms, and in motor symptoms. Several earlier studies have demonstrated the significant impact of non-motor symptoms on patients’ quality of life. | eng |