14 October 2005
Tanya Schmitz-Hübsch, Derek Pyfer, Karin Kielwein, Rolf Fimmers, Thomas Klockgether, Ullrich Wüllner
Irrespective of limited evidence, not only traditional physiotherapy,
but also a wide array of complementary methods are applied by patients
with Parkinson's disease (PD).
We evaluated the immediate and sustained
effects of Qigong on motor and nonmotor symptoms of PD, using an add-on
design.
Fifty-six patients with different levels of disease severity
(mean age/standard deviation [SD], 63.8/7.5 years; disease duration
5.8/4.2 years; 43 men [76%]) were recruited from the outpatient movement
disorder clinic of the Department of Neurology, University of Bonn. We
compared the progression of motor symptoms assessed by Unified
Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor part (UPDRS-III) in the Qigong
treatment group (n = 32) and a control group receiving no additional
intervention (n = 24).
Qigong exercises were applied as 90-minute weekly
group instructions for 2 months, followed by a 2 months pause and a
second 2-month treatment period. Assessments were carried out at
baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months.
More patients improved in the Qigong
group than in the control group at 3 and 6 months (P = 0.0080 at 3
months and P = 0.0503 at 6 months; Fisher's exact test). At 12
months, there was a sustained difference between groups only when
changes in UPDRS-III were related to baseline.
Depression scores
decreased in both groups, whereas the incidence of several nonmotor
symptoms decreased in the treatment group only.
