Association between mild parkinsonian signs and mortality in an elderly male cohort in China

Our study aimed to examine the predictive role of mild parkinsonian signs (MPS) on mortality in an elderly male cohort. From January 2004, 1759 retired male military officers in Nanjing, China, underwent detailed clinical evaluations, which included assessments of MPS using an abbreviated Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale at baseline. Data on deaths attributed to any cause were collected over a 4-year period of follow-up visits. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the effect of MPS and chronic diseases on mortality. Of the 1759 participants, 278 (15.8%) had MPS at baseline. The participants with MPS and those without did not differ significantly with respect to the prevalence of chronic illness. The multivariate-adjusted relative risk of death (risk ratio, RR) for MPS was 1.77. After adjustment for the other MPS domains and chronic illnesses, only axial function abnormality was associated with an increased risk of death (RR 2.07). The presence of MPS in elderly subjects at baseline is a significant predictor of risk, even after adjustment for chronic illness.