Autonomic dysfunction is a prevalent feature of Parkinson's disease (PD), mediated by disease involvement of the autonomic nervous system. Chronotropic incompetence (CI) refers to inadequate increase of heart rate in response to elevated metabolic demand, partly dependent on postganglionic sympathetic tone. In a retrospective study, PD patients with/without CI were identified. We show that PD with CI was associated with a higher levodopa equivalent daily dose and Hoehn and Yahr stage, 5±2 years after motor onset. Our data support a putative role of CI as a clinical marker of a more severe disease phenotype, possibly reflecting more widespread alpha-synuclein pathology.
Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; autonomic nervous system diseases; exercise test; postganglionic autonomic fibers.