scholarly journals Personalized Medicine Approach in Treating Parkinson’s Disease, Using Oral Administration of Levodopa/Carbidopa Microtablets in Clinical Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 720
Author(s):  
Helga María Grétarsdóttir ◽  
Erik Widman ◽  
Anders Johansson ◽  
Dag Nyholm

Background: The most effective symptomatic treatment in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is levodopa in standard doses. However, as the disease progresses, there may be a need for a more personalized approach and fine tuning, in accordance with the patients’ needs. This study aims to evaluate the individual experience of levodopa/carbidopa 5/1.25 mg microtablets (LC-5) in clinical practice with respect to efficacy, tolerability, and usability. The method used was as follows: patients answered a questionnaire concerning the effect and usability of LC-5, and their medical records were reviewed. Regarding results, thirty-five survey responses were obtained, and 29 patients’ medical records were reviewed. The LC-5 dose dispenser usability was generally rated positively and facilitated medication adherence. The majority (85%) of patients reported symptom improvement while using LC-5, compared with previous standard treatments. These results suggest that LC-5 therapy is generally well-tolerated, with favorable patient-reported efficacy and user friendliness, as well as the possibility for an individualized, fine-tuned PD treatment. Further studies with a prospective design and larger study population are needed to confirm the results.

Author(s):  
W.R. Wayne Martin ◽  
Marguerite Wieler

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that demands a holistic approach to treatment. Both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions play an important role in the comprehensive management of this disorder. While levodopa remains the single most effective medication for symptomatic treatment, dopamine agonists are playing an increasingly important role. Motor complications of dopaminergic therapy are a significant issue, particularly in patients with more advanced disease who have been on levodopa for several years. All therapeutic interventions must be tailored to the individual and modified as the disease progresses, with the goal of minimizing significant functional disability as much as possible.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan P. Feeney ◽  
Danny Bega ◽  
Benzi M. Kluger ◽  
A. Jon Stoessl ◽  
Christiana M. Evers ◽  
...  

AbstractSymptomatic management of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is complex and many symptoms, especially non-motor symptoms, are not effectively addressed with current medications. In the US, cannabis has become more widely available for medical and recreational use, permitting those in the PD community to try alternative means of symptom control. However, little is known about the attitudes towards, and experiences with, cannabis use among those living with PD. To address this shortcoming, we distributed an anonymous survey to 7,607 people with PD in January 2020 and received 1339 responses (17.6%). 1064 complete responses were available for analysis. Respondents represented 49 states with a mean age of 71.2 years (±8.3) and mean PD duration of 7.4 years (±6.2). About a quarter of respondents (24.5%) reported cannabis use within the previous six months. Age and gender were found to be predictors of cannabis use in this sample (Age OR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.93 to 0.97; Male OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.03). Users reported learning about cannabis use from the internet/news (30.5%) and friends or other people with PD (26.0%). Cannabis users were more likely to report insufficient control of their non-motor symptoms with prescription medications than non-users (p = 0.03). Cannabis was primarily used for PD (63.6%) and was most often used to treat nonmotor symptoms of anxiety (45.5%), pain (44.0%), and sleep disorders (44.0%). However, nearly a quarter of users (23.0%) also reported they had stopped cannabis use in the previous six months, primarily due to a lack of symptom improvement (35.5%). Three quarters of respondents (75.5%) did not use cannabis, primarily because there was a lack of scientific evidence supporting efficacy (59.9%). Our results suggest that the lack of formal guidance or research evidence about cannabis for PD may in part underlie inconsistencies in both use and reported effectiveness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 175628642110185
Author(s):  
Susan J. Thanabalasingam ◽  
Brandan Ranjith ◽  
Robyn Jackson ◽  
Don Thiwanka Wijeratne

Background: Recent changes to the legal status of cannabis across various countries have renewed interest in exploring its use in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The use of cannabinoids for alleviation of motor symptoms has been extensively explored in pre-clinical studies. Objective: We aim to systematically review and meta-analyze literature on the use of medical cannabis or its derivatives (MC) in PD patients to determine its effect on motor function and its safety profile. Methods: We reviewed and analyzed original, full-text randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Primary outcomes were change in motor function and dyskinesia. Secondary outcomes included adverse events and side effects. All studies were analyzed for risk of bias. Results: Fifteen studies, including six RCTs, were analyzed. Of these, 12/15 (80%) mention concomitant treatment with antiparkinsonian medications, most commonly levodopa. Primary outcomes were most often measured using the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) among RCTs and patient self-report of symptom improvement was widely used among observational studies. Most of the observational data lacking appropriate controls had effect estimates favoring the intervention. However, the controlled studies demonstrated no significant motor symptom improvement overall. The meta-analysis of three RCTs, including a total of 83 patients, did not demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in UPDRS III score variation (MD −0.21, 95% CI −4.15 to 3.72; p = 0.92) with MC use. Only one study reported statistically significant improvement in dyskinesia ( p < 0.05). The intervention was generally well tolerated. All RCTs had a high risk of bias. Conclusion: Although observational studies establish subjective symptom alleviation and interest in MC among PD patients, there is insufficient evidence to support its integration into clinical practice for motor symptom treatment. This is primarily due to lack of good quality data.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Gil Seo ◽  
Sang Jun Park ◽  
Jiah Seo ◽  
Seong Jun Byun ◽  
Byung-Mo Oh

Objective. Although evidence and guidelines recommend appropriate rehabilitation from the beginning of diagnosis in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), there is a lack of data addressing the utilization of rehabilitation therapies for these patients in practice. The aim of this study is to investigate the rate of rehabilitation therapy utilization over time in patients with PD using a nationwide cohort in Korea. Methods. Patients were identified using the registration code for PD in the program for rare, intractable disease from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort database, which consists of 979,390 Korean residents. Data were divided into four periods: 2004–2006, 2007–2009, 2010–2012, and 2013–2015. We assessed the utilization of rehabilitation therapies and the associated patient characteristics. Results. The numbers of patients with PD were 384 in 2004, 855 in 2007, 1,023 in 2010, and 1,222 in 2013. The numbers of physiatrist visits per person were 0.58, 0.96, 1.97, and 2.91, in the respective periods. Among the patients, 35–40% had claims for physical therapy, 16–19% for occupational therapy, and 4–6% for swallowing therapy. There were no remarkable differences between these rates between the study periods. Sex, age, income, disability, and levodopa-equivalent dose were significantly associated with the utilization of rehabilitation therapy. Conclusion. This study demonstrated that the rate of rehabilitation therapy utilization did not change remarkably in patients with PD from 2004 to 2015 in Korea although the number of physiatrist visits increased dramatically. The present evidence and guidelines may have not been adequately integrated into clinical practice during the period of study. Additional efforts may be warranted to provide adequate rehabilitation therapies in clinical practice for patients with PD.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Eileen Joyce

SUMMARY Clozapine is the only antipsychotic licensed for treatment of Parkinson's disease psychosis (PDP) but is infrequently used in the National Health Service because of obstacles to the integration of hospital-based neurological/geriatric services with clozapine clinics run by community mental health teams. This commentary points out the mismatch between NICE quality standards on antipsychotic treatment for PDP and current clinical practice. It suggests that forthcoming integrated care systems should be able to overcome these obstacles, enabling innovative models for providing clozapine treatment for PDP such as those described by Taylor et al, so that clozapine treatment becomes a right for patients and their families.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie K. Mischley ◽  
Richard C. Lau ◽  
Rachel D. Bennett

Objectives. The goal of this study is to describe modifiable lifestyle variables associated with reduced rate of Parkinson’s disease (PD) progression.Methods. The patient-reported outcomes in PD (PRO-PD) were used as the primary outcome measure, and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess dietary intake. In this cross-sectional analysis, regression analysis was performed on baseline data to identify the nutritional and pharmacological interventions associated with the rate of PD progression. All analyses were adjusted for age, gender, and years since diagnosis.Results. 1053 individuals with self-reported idiopathic PD were available for analysis. Foods associated with the reduced rate of PD progression included fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, nonfried fish, olive oil, wine, coconut oil, fresh herbs, and spices (P<0.05). Foods associated with more rapid PD progression include canned fruits and vegetables, diet and nondiet soda, fried foods, beef, ice cream, yogurt, and cheese (P<0.05). Nutritional supplements coenzyme Q10 and fish oil were associated with reduced PD progression (P=0.026andP=0.019, resp.), and iron supplementation was associated with faster progression (P=0.022).Discussion. These are the first data to provide evidence that targeted nutrition is associated with the rate of PD progression.


2020 ◽  
Vol 127 (10) ◽  
pp. 1369-1376
Author(s):  
Thomas Müller ◽  
Ali Harati

Abstract Motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease may be determined with instrumental tests and rating procedures. Their outcomes reflect the functioning and the impairment of the individual patient when patients are tested off and on dopamine substituting drugs. Objectives were to investigate whether the execution speed of a handwriting task, instrumentally assessed fine motor behavior, and rating scores improve after soluble levodopa application. 38 right-handed patients were taken off their regular drug therapy for at least 12 h before scoring, handwriting, and performance of instrumental devices before and 1 h after 100 mg levodopa intake. The outcomes of all performed procedures improved. The easy-to-perform handwriting task and the instrumental tests demand for fast and precise execution of movement sequences with considerable cognitive load in the domains' attention and concentration. These investigations may serve as additional tools for the testing of the dopaminergic response.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Barbagelata ◽  
Antonello Nicolini ◽  
Paola Tognetti

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder with a typical movement pattern, as well as different, less studied non-motor symptoms such as dysphagia. Disease-related disorders in efficacy or safety in the process of swallowing usually lead to malnutrition, dehydration or pneumonia. Dysphagia and subsequent aspiration pneumonia are common causes of morbidity and mortality in those with PD. The aim of this review is to identify and evaluate the existing literature on swallowing disorders in PD and providing recommendations for clinical practice routine.


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