Punding Prevalence in Parkinson's Disease

The purpose of this study was to determine punding prevalence in an ambulatory Parkinson's disease (PD) population. We conducted a patient-and-caregiver-completed punding survey in 373 consecutive patients in an academic ambulatory center. Completion rate was 78%. Only four patients were identified as punding. Patients did not retain insight to their behavior. Forty patients with high-dose levodopa monotherapy or levodopa and dopamine agonist treatment had physician-administered interview. None had punding. Punding incidence was low in this patient group (1.4%) in contrast with previous reports of 14%. Despite the low incidence, this behavior is disruptive and should be carefully elicited by physicians caring for Parkinson's disease patients.