Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are frequently observed in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. The concept of "body-first" and "brain-first" subtypes in PD has been proposed, but the correlation of PD subtype with LUTS remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the disparities in urological dysfunctions between body-first and brain-first subtypes of PD using urodynamic studies (UDS). METHODS: We reviewed patients with PD (disease duration <3 years) who had undergone UDS and completed urological questionnaires (Overactive Bladder Symptom Score [OABSS] and International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS]) and a voiding diary. Patients were categorized as having body-first or brain-first PD based on cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) using cardiac meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake and the presence of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), assessed using a questionnaire (PD with CSD and RBD indicating the body-first subtype). RESULTS: A total of 55 patients with PD were categorized into body-first PD (n = 37) and brain-first PD (n = 18) groups. The body-first PD group exhibited smaller voiding volume and first desire volume (FDV) than the brain-first PD group (p < 0.05 in both). Also, the body-first PD group had higher OABSS and IPSS scores, and higher prevalence of overactive bladder diagnosed by OABSS, compared to the brain-first PD group. In multiple linear regression, cardiac MIBG uptake was positively correlated with FDV and voiding volume and negatively correlated with OABSS and IPSS (p < 0.05 in all). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with the body-first PD subtype exhibited more pronounced overactive bladder symptoms and impaired storage function in the early stage of disease. Additionally, cardiac MIBG was significantly associated with urological dysfunction.