RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: In patients older than 70 years there is no valid alternative to progressively introduced substitution therapy. The antiparkinsonian drugs introduced in the last decade to treat Parkinson's disease, especially in its early phases, promised a comparable efficacy in reducing symptoms to levodopa. In younger patients and/or patients with mild symptoms we hoped to delay the motor complications by postponing the start of levodopa therapy. While these assumptions may not be true for all patients, probably the most important current challenge is the optimal starting moment of levodopa therapy. The aim of the study was to analyze the therapeutical choices during the early phase of Parkinson's disease in the Neurological Departments of Târgu Mures¸ County Hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined data obtained from hospitalized Parkinson's disease patients during a 15-year period. According to the duration of the disease we split the patients into two groups, patients with Parkinson's disease for less than or equal to 5 years and patients with disease duration longer than 5 years, and then analyzed only the former group. RESULTS: During the examined period, 2,379 patients with Parkinson's disease were hospitalized, and 1,237 patients had a disease duration shorter than 5 years. In this group, 18 patients had monoamine oxidase inhibitor monotherapy. Also, 665 patients received dopamine agonists, in 120 cases as monotherapy and in 83 patients associated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors. In 521 patients we found only levodopa treatment. A further 481 patients received combined therapy (levodopa with dopamine agonists and/or monoamine oxidase inhibitors). CONCLUSION: Treatment strategies for the early stages of Parkinson's disease in our group were comparable to results from other studies. However, the authors feel that neurologists should use levodopa-sparing drugs with greater courage. Furthermore, if the clinical context is appropriate, physicians should combine substitution therapy with other antiparkinsonian drugs in order to reduce levodopa doses.
RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Selective monoamine oxidase B inhibitors have an accurate place in therapeutical strategy of Parkinsons's disease. In the early stages of the disease, especially in younger patients with milder symptoms, the introduction of levodopa substitution could be efficacious in delaying; in advanced stages they are mainly used to treat motor complications, as an adjunct to levodopa. AIM: The evaluation of therapeutical strategies used in the neurology clinics of Tirgu Mures County Emergency Clinical Hospital in order to define the role of monoamine oxidase B inhibitors. METHOD: This retrospective study includes all records of patients with Parkinson's disease hospitalized between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2016. From the 2194 reports we used data focusing on the therapeutic recommendations. Regarding disease duration, we divided the patients in two groups: less than or equal to 5 years and more than 5 years. RESULTS: From the 1183 patients in first group, 243 received monoamine oxidase inhibitors: 12 as monotherapy, 52 together with dopamine agonists, in 61 cases combined with levodopa. In 118 cases monoamine oxidase inhibitors were combined with levodopa and dopamine agonists. From 582 cases whith Parkinson's disease for more than 5 years, 195 received monoamine oxidase B inhibitors (selegiline: 10 cases, rasagiline: 185 cases). In 429 cases we did not find accurate data regarding disease duration (selegiline: 5 cases, rasagiline: 93 cases). CONCLUSION: The use of monoamine oxidase B inhibitors was similar to those found in literature. The treating physicians should utilise more confidently the available therapeutical combinations. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(51): 2023-2028.
