Isolation Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic in People Suffering from Parkinson’s Disease and Activity, Self-Assessment of Physical Fitness and the Level of Affective Disorders

Abstract

Background: Staying at home for long periods and limiting various types of activities and social contacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic may have negative consequences for health. This is especially true for people suffering from chronic diseases, in whom an appropriate level of activity and social contacts delay the progress of the disease. This group includes people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease—PD. Aim: It was decided to investigate the effect of COVID-19 isolation related to self-assessment of physical fitness, physical activity, and the level of anxiety and depression in people with PD. Methods: The study included 30 patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. We compared the results of the pre-pandemic questionnaire and the telephone interview with the same questions—after the period of isolation due to COVID-19. The questionnaire included questions about physical activity and fitness self-assessment. The level of affective disorders was tested using HADS. Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in the physical activity of the respondents after isolation related to COVID-19 (p < 0.05). Self-assessment of physical fitness also decreased, but the differences were not statistically significant. In the post-isolation study, only 50% of the respondents had normative values for anxiety and only 40% for depression. The analysis showed that the level of physical activity—the independent variable, explains anxiety in 30% and depression in 27%. Conclusions: Pandemic isolation has significantly reduced physical activity in PD patients. There was a certain drop in the self-esteem of physical fitness in these people. Physical fitness is an important predictor of preventing the affective disorders of anxiety and depression. The effects of isolation due to COVID-19 require further research.