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Objective: The aim of this work was to investigate the prevalence of camptocormia and the clinical characteristics of patients with camptocormia in a large population of PD patients. Background: Although camptocormia has been recognized as a prominent phenomenon in PD, the previous epidemiological reports were limited, especially in terms of sample size. Methods: We evaluated 531 PD patients (disease duration: 7.0 ± 5.5 years, mean ± standard deviation). We examined their clinical features and the prevalence of camptocormia. Results: Camptocormia was detected in 22 patients (4.1%) and found in patients who were older and had more severe motor symptoms and a higher levodopa ( L-dopa) dose ( P < 0.05), compared to the patients without camptocormia. Patients with camptocormia showed significantly higher frequencies of autonomic symptoms, such as constipation and urinary incontinence ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: Camptocormia is uncommon in PD and is associated with disease severity, higher L-dopa dose and higher frequencies of autonomic symptoms. © 2011 Movement Disorder Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented which offers evidence consistent with the findings of Martin and colleagues on the role of interleukin-1 β (IL-1 β) secretion in Blau syndrome.