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Current Status of Levodopa Therapy in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2016

S. Gauthier  and
L. Gauthier
S. Gauthier*
Affiliation:
McGill Centre for Studies in Age and Aging and the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University
L. Gauthier
Affiliation:
McGill Centre for Studies in Age and Aging and the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University
*
McGill Centre for Studies in Age and Aging,1650 Cedar Ave., Montréal, Québec, Canada H3G 1A4
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Abstract:

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Levodopa is currently used at all stages of Parkinson's disease, particularly from Stage 3 onward. Most patients start levodopa within four years of the onset of disease, earlier in the akineto-rigid patients (average delay of 2.1 years) than in those where resting tremor predominates (average delay of 3.4 years). Advanced age (>80) is no deterrent to the use of levodopa if required. Wearing off is most noticeable in Stage 3 or after 10 years of therapy with levodopa. An inverse correlation was found between age and wearing off, suggesting a marked sensitivity of younger patients to levodopa. Future studies on the use of dopamine agonists should thus be stratified according to age.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 14 , Issue S3 , August 1987 , pp. 452 - 454
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation 1987

References

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