Evidence of heat sensitivity in people with Parkinson's disease

Andrew P Hunt; Aline Souza Pagnussat; Alexander Lehn; Daniel Moore; Daniel Schweitzer; E-Liisa Laakso; Ewald Hennig; Meg E Morris; Graham Kerr; Ian Stewart

doi:10.1007/s00484-024-02658-w

Evidence of heat sensitivity in people with Parkinson's disease

Int J Biometeorol. 2024 Apr 11. doi: 10.1007/s00484-024-02658-w. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Andrew P Hunt¹, Aline Souza Pagnussat^{2

3}, Alexander Lehn^{4

5}, Daniel Moore⁶, Daniel Schweitzer^{5

7

8}, E-Liisa Laakso^{9

10}, Ewald Hennig¹¹, Meg E Morris¹², Graham Kerr¹¹, Ian Stewart¹¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, 4059, Australia. ap.hunt@qut.edu.au.
² Department of Physical Therapy, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
³ Department of Physical Therapy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA.
⁴ Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁵ School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁶ School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁷ Centre for Neurosciences, Mater Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁸ Wesley Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁹ Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
¹⁰ Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
¹¹ School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, 4059, Australia.
¹² The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre and ARCH, La Trobe University, Bundoora, 3086, Australia.

PMID: 38602550
DOI: 10.1007/s00484-024-02658-w

Abstract

Examining how heat affects people with Parkinson's disease is essential for informing clinical decision-making, safety, well-being, and healthcare planning. While there is evidence that the neuropathology associated with Parkinson's disease affects thermoregulatory mechanisms, little attention has been given to the association of heat sensitivity to worsening symptoms and restricted daily activities in people with this progressive disease. Using a cross-sectional study design, we examined the experiences of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the heat. Two-hundred and forty-seven people completed an online survey (age: 66.0 ± 9.2 years; sex: male = 102 (41.3%), female = 145 (58.7%)), of which 195 (78.9%) reported becoming more sensitive to heat with Parkinson's disease. Motor and nonmotor symptoms worsened with heat in 182 (73.7%) and 203 (82.2%) respondents, respectively. The most commonly reported symptoms to worsen included walking difficulties, balance impairment, stiffness, tremor, fatigue, sleep disturbances, excess sweating, difficulty concentrating, and light-headedness when standing. Concerningly, over half indicated an inability to work effectively in the heat, and nearly half reported that heat impacted their ability to perform household tasks and social activities. Overall, heat sensitivity was common in people with Parkinson's disease and had a significant impact on symptomology, day-to-day activities and quality of life.

Keywords: Activities of daily living; Climate change; Heat intolerance; Hot temperature; Hyperhidrosis; Parkinson’s disease; Quality of life.