Ires Ghielen

80 Chapter 5 Abstract Aims: We studied the longitudinal associations between Freezing of Gait (FoG), Fear of Falling (FoF) and anxiety, and how these associations are influenced by confounding factors. Materials &methods: We analysed longitudinal motor and non-motor measurements from 153 Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Possible confounding factors were divided into three subgroups: demographics, disease characteristics, medication use and adverse effects of medication. Results: All crude associations between FoG, FoF and anxiety were significant and remained so after adjusting for confounders. When analysing FoF and anxiety together as independent variables, the association between FoG and FoF remained, and the association between FoG and anxiety diminished. Conclusions: We confirm the complex interactions between motor and non-motor symptoms in PD, and plead for a multidisciplinary approach.