The long-duration response to L-dopa in the treatment of early PD.
Neurology
; 54(10): 1910-5, 2000 May 23.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10822428
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the long-duration response (LDR) to L-dopa resulting from different regimens of L-dopa.BACKGROUND:
In clinical practice, L-dopa is usually administered without considering the LDR due to the drug. Moreover, it has not been established whether in early PD a multiple daily intake of small doses of L-dopa may induce a sustained LDR.METHODS:
Twenty-four patients with early PD underwent a double-blind, crossover trial, comparing three different 15-day treatment periods with L-dopa treatment A (250 mg every 24 hours); treatment B (250 mg every 8 hours); and treatment C (125 mg every 8 hours). After completion, 20 patients underwent a subsequent open-label randomized trial with prolonged treatments (250 mg every 24 hours or 125 mg every 8 hours) up to 3 months. LDR was measured at the end of each treatment.RESULTS:
All patients achieved a sustained LDR after treatments A and B, whereas only 17% of patients reached a sustained LDR after treatment C. Overall, the LDRs resulting from treatments A and B had similar magnitude and were larger than the LDR deriving from treatment C. After 3 months of prolonged treatments, only three of 10 patients treated with 125 mg every 8 hours increased their LDR, whereas all 10 patients treated with 250 mg every 24 hours had a maximal and stable LDR.CONCLUSIONS:
Sustained LDR to L-dopa is dependent on the amount of the single doses of the drug. A regimen scheduling small, divided doses during the day, as done in clinical practice, is a questionable therapy for the achievement of a sustained LDR.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Doença de Parkinson
/
Levodopa
/
Antiparkinsonianos
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2000
Tipo de documento:
Article