Parkinson disease: Can a new trial end controversy over when to use levodopa?

Abstract

Levodopa is the standard therapy for Parkinson disease, but prolonged use promotes the development of adverse motor effects. A new trial compared the effectiveness of levodopa administration early in the disease with therapies that used alternative dopaminergic agents before levodopa. No clinically relevant differences were found between the treatment strategies.

• Authors: Olivier Rascol
• Journal: Nature reviews. Neurology (Nat Rev Neurol) Vol. 10 Issue 9 Pg. 488-9 (Sep 2014) ISSN: 1759-4766 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 25134709 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antiparkinson Agents
• Dopamine Agents
• Levodopa

Topics

• Antiparkinson Agents (therapeutic use)
• Dopamine Agents (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Levodopa (therapeutic use)
• Parkinson Disease (drug therapy)
• Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
• Treatment Outcome