COMPARISON of SPATIO-TEMPORAL GAIT VARIABLES in PATIENTS with Parkinson'S DISEASE and SWEDD

Scans without evidence of dopaminergic deficit (SWEDD) refers to patients with a normal dopamine transporter scan among patients clinically diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD). It is essential to differentiate SWEDD from PD in order to avoid costly and inappropriate treatments. We investigated differences of gait pattern in PD patients and SWEDD patients. Twelve patients with SWEDD and 8 patients with PD participated in the gait test. All participants were instructed to walk along the GaitRite linear walkway at comfortable velocity. As outcome measure, various spatio-temporal gait variables were derived from commercial GaitRite software. Independent sample t-tests were evaluated to investigate statistical differences between SWEDD patients and PD patients. SWEDD patients walked more quickly with longer step length compared to PD patients (p<0.05). PD patients exhibited a longer stance phase with increased double-limb support period than SWEDD patients (p<0.05). Step time difference of SWEDD patients was smaller than that of PD patients (p<0.01). These findings suggest quantitative gait variables could be helpful for the identification of potential SWEDD patients. Also, understanding of gait strategies of SWEDD patients might be contributed to their effective medications and treatments.