Long-Duration Response to Levodopa in Parkinson Disease

In medication-naive Parkinson disease patients in Sub-Saharan Africa, the long-duration response ranged between 60% and 65% of total motor benefit provided by levodopa.

The natural progression of Parkinson disease OFF levodopa is unknown. Now, investigators have conducted a prospective, naturalistic, 2-year study to test the natural OFF dopaminergic state in drug-naive Parkinson disease patients in Sub-Saharan Africa. The researchers also sought to study the effects of levodopa on motor disability progression.

A total of 30 patients (63% male; mean age at onset, 58 years; mean disease duration, 7 years) were administered levodopa monotherapy and were assessed using the Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) at 1-year and 2-year follow-up.

The natural OFF medication score (no levodopa ever) was 41.9 and improved to 26.8 after treatment with levodopa. Following 1 year and an overnight withdrawal, the…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)