Table 3.
Characteristics of consecutive outpatients with and without a feeling of presence
| Patients with FP n=38 | Patients without FP n=78 | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age, years (SD) | 67.4 (9.2) | 66.9 (10.3) | NS |
| Men, n (%) | 26 (68) | 49 (63) | NS |
| Mean disease duration, years (SD) | 11.2 (5.9) | 8.1 (5.7) | 0.006 |
| Mean Hoehn and Yahr stage in “on” state (SD) | 2.5 (0.8) | 1.9 (0.8) | < 0.001 |
| Predominant side of parkinsonism, n (%) | |||
| Right | 15 (39) | 37 (48) | |
| Left | 19 (50) | 35 (45) | NS |
| None | 4 (11) | 5 (7) | |
| Mean L-dopa equivalent daily dose, mg (SD) | 892 (389) | 683 (431) | 0.019 |
| Current use of dopaminergic agonistsa, n (%) | 23 (61) | 51 (65) | NS |
| Current use of amantadine, n (%) | 10 (26) | 8 (10) | 0.031 |
| Current use of anticholinergics, n (%) | 7 (18) | 6 (8) | NS |
| Current use of psychoactive drugs, n (%) | 23 (61) | 23 (30) | 0.002 |
| Associated psychotic symptoms, n (%) | |||
| Visual illusions | 21 (55) | 7 (9) | <0.001 |
| Visual hallucinations | 14 (37) | 5 (6) | <0.001 |
| Non-visual hallucinations | 17 (45) | 21 (27) | NS |
a
Dopaminergic agonsits were in most cases non ergot derivatives (piribedil, pramipexole, or ropinirole) and in a few instances ergot derivatives (bromocriptine, lisuride, or pergolide),