Hypersexuality and pathological gambling in Parkinson's disease: A cross-sectional case-control study

Background: Substance and behavioral addictions have already been described separately or in combination in Parkinson's disease. However, no comparisons of the prevalence of addictive behaviors in patients with Parkinson's disease and the general population have been published. The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence and characteristics of addictions (gambling, hypersexuality, tobacco, and alcohol) in patients with Parkinson's disease and in a matched, paired sample from the general population. Methods: After matching for age, sex, and complete field questionnaires on addictions, we had 115 data sets. Results: No difference was observed between Parkinson's disease and control populations concerning pathological gambling (0.87% vs 0.87%, P = .99), tobacco addiction (1.7% vs 1.7%, P = .99), and alcohol dependence (2.6% vs 3.5%, P = .71). The Parkinson's disease group showed 2 cases of sexual addiction (1.7% vs 0, P = .15). Conclusions: Our results indicate that patients with Parkinson's disease do not have specific profiles for tobacco or alcohol addiction and pathological gambling compared with the general population. © 2011 Movement Disorder Society