Present morality in parkinson's disease: the ratio of observed to expected deaths with a method to calculate expected deaths

Impact of Parkinson's Disease on Complications, Readmission Rates, and Costs of Care following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty

Large-scale studies evaluating the effects of Parkinson's disease (PD) on primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are limited. The purpose of this study was to determine if PD patients undergoing primary TKA have increased: (1) medical complications; (2) implant-related complications; (3) readmission rates; and (4) costs. A query was performed using an administrative claims database. The study group consisted of all patients undergoing primary TKA who had a history of PD. Matched non-PD patients undergoing primary TKA served as a control group. The query yielded 72,326 patients (PD = 18,082; matching cohort = 54,244). Pearson's chi-square tests, logistic regression analyses, and Welch's t-tests were used to test for significance between the cohorts. Primary TKA patients who had PD were found to have greater incidences and odds of medical complications (4.21 vs. 1.24%; odds ratio [OR]: 3.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.15-3.89, p < 0.0001) and implant-related complications (5.09 vs. 3.15%; OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.51-1.79, p < 0.0001) compared with the matching cohort. Additionally, the rates and odds of 90-day readmission were higher (16.29 vs. 12.66%; OR:1.34, p < 0.0001) and episodes of care costs were significantly greater ($17,105.43 vs. $15,252.34, p < 0.0001) in patients who had PD. Results demonstrate that PD patients undergoing primary TKA had higher incidences of medical and implant-related complications. They also had increased 90-day readmission rates and costs compared with controls. The findings of this study should be used in risk stratification and should inform physician-patient discussion but should not be arbitrarily used to deny access to care.

Frequency and Cause of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson syndrome (PS) is a common disorder in the North American population. The annual incidence rate is 20.5/100,000 population and the mean survival after onset is approximately 12.3 years. The estimated prevalence rate is about 300/100,000 population. The incidence and prevalence rates rise with advancing age. Both the widespread use of levodopa and the improved health care in general have increased the longevity in PS. The survival in PS from the time of the first clinic visit is still significantly shorter when compared with the regional age and sex matched population. The cause of IPD may be related to some environmental factor(s) – most likely a toxin. Genetic factors are not the cause but in some families, may predispose to IPD.

Mortality in levodopa-treated Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with increased mortality despite many advances in treatment. Following the introduction of levodopa in the late 1960's, many studies reported improved or normalized mortality rates in PD. Despite the remarkable symptomatic benefits provided by levodopa, multiple recent studies have demonstrated that PD patients continue to die at a rate in excess of their peers. We undertook this retrospective study of 211 deceased PD patients to determine the factors associated with mortality in levodopa-treated PD. Our findings confirm that PD is associated with increased mortality in both men and women. Unlike the majority of other mortality studies, we found that women have a greater reduction in lifespan compared to men. We also found that patients with early onset PD (onset at the age of 50 or before) have reduced survival relative to PD patients with later ages of onset. A final important finding is that survival is equal in PD patients treated with levodopa early (within 2 years or less of PD onset) versus later.

Disease modification in Parkinson’s disease: are we there yet with currently available therapies?

SUMMARY Management of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is currently based primarily on dopamine-replacement therapy for the alleviation of motor symptoms. Current medical and surgical therapies can provide long-lasting symptomatic benefit, but they do not modify progression of the disease. Research is ongoing to find a therapy that can provide neuroprotection, defined herein as preventing vulnerable neurons from dying. Studies of neuroprotection are limited by a lack of adequate biomarkers of PD progression and by the confounding symptomatic effects of many putative neuroprotective therapies. Studies have shown that levodopa prolongs life, but they have not clearly shown that it modifies disease progression. Trials of dopamine agonists have demonstrated symptomatic effect but no unequivocal neuroprotective benefits. While some studies of monamine oxidase B inhibitors have been promising, they have not conclusively proven disease modification. Exercise provides many benefits to patients with PD, may modify the progression of the disease and should be part of each patient’s treatment plan.

Seniors with Parkinson's disease: initial medical treatment

Parkinson's disease most often presents after age 60, and patients in this age group are best managed with levodopa therapy as the primary treatment modality. Unlike young-onset parkinsonism (onset <age 40), this older age group is much less prone to subsequent development of levodopa responsive instability (dyskinesias, fluctuations). When these problems do occur in seniors, they usually can be managed by medication adjustments. The treatment goal is to keep patients active and engaged; levodopa dosage should be guided by the patients' responses and not arbitrarily limited to low doses, which may compromise patients' lives.

Estimated life expectancy of Parkinson's patients compared with the UK population

OBJECTIVE

To calculate the best possible estimates for age specific life expectancy (LE) and anticipated age at the time of death (AAD) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) compared with the general population in the UK. These may be of greater value to patients than standardised mortality ratios (SMRs), which are usually reported in studies on mortality in PD.

METHODS

A literature review identified articles with data on age stratified life expectancy or SMRs to calculate estimations of LE using the Gompertz function and data on mortality and LE in the UK from the Office of National Statistics and Actuarial Department for the year 2003.

RESULTS

Two UK studies and four from Western Europe were used to estimate LE and AAD for patients with PD from SMRs. The mean LEs of patients with PD compared with the general population were: 38 (SD 5) years for onset between 25 and 39 years compared with 49 (SD 5) years; 21 (SD 5) years for onset between 40 and 64 years compared with 31 (SD 7) years; and 5 (SD 4) years for onset age > or = 65 years compared with 9 (SD 5) years. The average AAD of patients with PD with onset between 25 and 39 years was 71 (SD 3) years and considerably lower than that of the general population (82 (SD 2) years). The difference between average AAD for older individuals with PD (onset > or = 65 years) and the general population was smaller, with an AAD of approximately 88 (SD 7) years compared with 91 (SD 5) years.

CONCLUSIONS

The calculations showed that LE and AAD in PD are reduced for all onset ages but this reduction is greatest in individuals with a young onset. While the results are average estimates, these can provide useful indications of LE and AAD.

Challenging conventional wisdom: the etiologic role of dopamine oxidative stress in Parkinson's disease

Oxidative stress is well documented in Parkinson's disease (PD) and has been attributed to dopamine oxidative metabolism. However, evidence of oxidative stress is found in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders, suggesting that more general factors are responsible or that cytodestructive processes secondarily generate oxyradical products. Increasing evidence points away from dopamine metabolism as an important contributor to PD neurodegeneration. Predictions from the dopamine oxidative stress hypothesis of PD reveal multiple inconsistencies. Although the clinical and therapeutic importance of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system is undeniable, PD neuropathology is much more widespread.

Mortality in Parkinson's disease and its association with dementia and depression

OBJECTIVE

To compare the mortality rate in Parkinson's disease (PD) with a control group without PD, and to assess the relationship between mortality and features of PD.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Ninety PD patients and 50 controls, mortality ascertained at 11 years follow-up.

RESULTS

The hazard ratio (HR) for mortality in PD patients compared with controls was 1.64 (95% CI: 1.21-2.23). Multivariate analysis showed age, dementia and depression were independent predictors of mortality but age at onset of PD and severity of neurological symptoms were not. The HR for age was 1.09 (95% CI: 1.05-1.13), for dementia 1.94 (95% CI: 1.26-2.99), and for depression 2.66 (95% CI: 1.59-4.44).

CONCLUSION

Mortality in PD is increased compared with controls. Psychological variables are important predictors of mortality in PD.

Parkinson's disease: medical and surgical treatment

It has been over three decades since the introduction of L-dihydroxyphenylalanine or levodopa therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). The early levodopa trials were driven by recognition of a profound cerebral dopamine deficiency state in this disorder. Whereas dopamine fails to cross the blood brain barrier and hence is ineffective as therapy, the amino acid precursor, dopa, is transported across this barrier and provides a substrate for dopamine synthesis. Levodopa is converted to dopamine within the brain by dopa decarboxylase, replenishing central dopamine stores and potentially reversing the motor symptoms of PD.

Mortality in a population-based cohort of patients treated with antiparkinsonian drugs

OBJECTIVES

A number of studies have been focused on the mortality of parkinsonian patients, as compared with the rest of the population. In these studies, a mortality greater than expected on the basis of mortality of the general population has been shown. Nevertheless, just a few of these studies have investigated in detail the specific causes of death, probably as a consequence of both small cohort sizes and a short time period of observation. The aim of this study was to estimate cause-specific mortality in a cohort of patients treated with antiparkinsonian drugs.

METHODS

The study was performed on a wide population-based cohort of patients identified and followed-up through the computerized health databases of the Italian province of Rome (about 3,800,000 inhabitants). The follow-up lasted from January 1987 to December 1994. Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMR) were calculated for each specific cause of death, using the Rome province population as reference.

RESULTS

A cohort of 10,322 subjects, receiving antiparkinsonian drugs, were identified. There were 4328 deaths on an average follow-up of 5.7 years. This figure was 17% higher than was expected. A gradual decrease in SMR was observed in the oldest age groups. Statistically significant (95%) excesses of death were related to the nervous system (SMR = 1037; 95% CI 964-1110), mental disorders (SMR = 182; 95% CI 129-246), and endocrine and metabolic diseases (SMR = 117; 95% CI 102-133). Lower than expected mortality was found to be caused by malignant neoplasms (SMR = 56; 95% CI 51-61).

CONCLUSIONS

Apart from deaths specifically related to Parkinson's disease, the main differences between our cohort of patients and the general population were related to mortality due to malignant neoplasms and mental disorders. The gradual decrease in SMR for the oldest age groups, seems to indicate a greater reduction of life expectancy for patients with early onset of symptoms. This age-related trend could explain the relatively small excess of mortality, as in our cohort the median age of patients at entry was 74 years.

Total knee arthroplasty in patients with parkinson's disease

A retrospective review of 24 consecutive patients with Parkinson's disease who underwent 33 primary cemented condylar total knee arthroplasties was performed. The average follow-up period was 33 months, with a minimum follow-up period of 2 years. The pain score improved from 34 points before surgery to 89 points at the latest follow-up examination. The functional score improved from 42 points before surgery to 68 points at the latest follow-up examination. In patients whose Parkinson's disease progressed, the latest functional score was 49.5 points, significantly lower than the scores of those patients who did not progress. The results show that total knee arthroplasty is successful in patients with Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately in some patients. Parkinson's disease progresses and functional results decrease, but the benefit of pain relief persists.

Treatment of early Parkinson's disease: are complicated strategies justified?

A variety of medical treatment strategies have been proposed as a means of slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease. This includes administration of selegiline (deprenyl) therapy, early use of bromocriptine or pergolide, and delay of levodopa therapy or restriction of the dose. There is no compelling evidence supporting the use of any of these treatment strategies for this purpose. Carbidopa-levodopa remains the most potent medication for symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease. Although starting levodopa therapy with the controlled-release formulation is advocated, this does not appear to have any major advantages over standard carbidopa-levodopa. Further studies are needed to identify other means of halting the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Does levodopa therapy delay death in Parkinson's disease? A review of the evidence

Studies examining the mortality from Parkinson's disease have been reviewed to assess the impact of levodopa therapy. These include national mortality data taken from death certificate returns, cohort studies comparing the deaths observed in a group of patients with those expected from population statistics, and case-control studies comparing deaths in patients with those in a matched control group. It is concluded that the decrease in crude mortality rate in the early 1970s in several western countries was mirrored by a decrease in observed to expected mortality rates in cohort studies over the same period. The rise in crude mortality in the late 1970s and early 1980s paralleled an increase in observed to expected mortality in cohort studies. These trends are compatible with the hypothesis that levodopa delayed the death of a cohort of frail elderly parkinsonian patients who succumbed approximately 5 years later, leading to an apparent "catch-up" increment in national mortality data. Whilst crude mortality in England and Wales does not appear to be increasing as fast as before the introduction of levodopa, recent cohort and case-control studies report mortality ratios comparable to those seen in the prelevodopa era. Further case-control studies are required to determine the position with current treatment regimens.

Survival and cause of death in a cohort of patients with parkinsonism: possible clues to aetiology?

Most previous studies that have examined the survival of patients with parkinsonism have recruited them from specialist centres. No previous study has ever reported cause specific mortality. We report on the mortality of a cohort of 220 parkinsonian patients recruited between 1970 and 1972 from 40 primary health care practices all over England and Wales and matched to 421 controls. At 20 years of follow up, 195 cases (88.6%) and 295 controls (70.1%) were no longer alive (P < 0.001). The median age at death for cases was 77.6 (range 53.8-97.3) and 83.5 (range 55.0-100.1) for controls (P < 0.001). The all cause hazard ratio for cases compared with controls was 2.6 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.2-3.2) controlling for age, sex, and geographical region. There was little difference between men and women. Differences for cause specific mortality also emerged. Both ischemic heart disease (2.3, 95% CI 1.5-3.4) and cerebrovascular disease (3.6, 95% CI 2.2-6.1) showed significantly increased hazard ratios. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed in terms of (a) competing causes of death, (b) a secondary effect of drug treatment, and (c) common aetiological factors for both parkinsonism and cardiovascular disease.

Mortality rates for parkinsonism in Italy (1969 to 1987)

Parkinsonism death rates in Italy were analysed for the period 1969-1987. Crude death rates increased markedly in the above period for both sexes. Age-specific rates underwent important changes during these twenty years. In the years 1969-71 the age-specific death rates reach their maximum values at ages 80-84, after which they decline. In the years 1983-87 the rates continue to increase until the 80-84 age group, when they reach a plateau. Moreover, in the more recent years the age-specific rates for ages < 70-75 are lower, whereas those for the older ages are approximately twice as high as the values in the earlier years. The age-adjusted death rates (1981 Italian population) increased slightly in the period studied for both sexes. Rates for males exceed those for females in all the previous analyses. Minor differences appeared in death distribution between the five large areas Italy was divided into. The observed changes in death rates are likely to reflect: changes in age composition of the population over time, greater attention to parkinsonian patients and especially increased duration of this disease following the discovery of its neurochemical basis and effective medical treatment.

Effect of physical exercise on mortality in patients with Parkinson's disease

Public health nurses visited and followed up for more than one year 438 patients with Parkinson's disease living in Osaka. The follow-up period averaged 4.1 years, during which 71 deaths were observed. The patients were classified according to the degree of physical exercise they performed, and the ratios of observed to expected deaths were calculated. The exercising group showed the lowest ratio of 1.68 (1.45 for patients able to walk independently, and 1.89 for those could not) while all patients exhibited a ratio of 2.47. Multivariate analysis using Cox's proportional hazard model, adjusted for age, sex, walking ability and duration of disease at study entry, showed that, compared with the exercising group, the non-exercising patients had a hazard ratio of 1.83.

Parkinsonism mortality in the US, 1. Time and space distribution

We studied the time-space variations of mortality for parkinsonism in the US during the periods 1962-1985 and 1971-1978 from statistics on primary cause-of-death and multiple causes-of-death, respectively. Linear regression analysis and a test for significance of spatial clustering were used. For parkinsonism as a primary cause-of-death, up to the late 1970's there was a decrease in mortality for the age groups below 75 and stable rates for the age group 75 years and over. A moderate decrease among those below 75 years, and a sharp increase in mortality among those over 74, were observed for the period since the late 1970s. The variation of the age-specific mortality during the period 1962-1985 ranged from 100% in the age group 35-44 years to +98% in those aged over 84 years. Within the same age group, the variations across time of mortality due to, and related to parkinsonism, for the period 1971-1978, were similar. In the spatial analysis, an association between mortality related to parkinsonism and geographical latitude was found. We conclude that: 1) parkinsonism at death is widely distributed; 2) the changes across time can not be explained by a reduction in general mortality; 3) improvements in diagnostic ascertainment and reporting among the elderly may have particularly occurred during the last decade; and 4) the disorder has been progressively confined to the elderly by diminishing in the younger birth cohorts.

Progression and survival in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder and no permanent cure has ever been documented. The clinical onset, which usually occurs at an age of 55-65 years, is probably preceded by a preclinical period of two or more decades. The progression rate of the disease is extremely variable in different patients; in individual patients on the other hand, the progression of motor symptoms is fairly constant. The tremor-dominant type of the disease usually has a more favourable prognosis than the hypokinetic type. Onset at an older age may be associated with a faster progression rate and the development of cognitive failure. In natural conditions, the average duration of Parkinson's disease is 10 years, although with a considerable range. The disease shortens life expectancy, which can be restored at least partially by treating patients with levodopa and other modern drugs. The highest benefit in increasing life expectancy is obtained when the treatment is initiated at a relatively early stage of the disease.

Mortality and causes of death in idiopathic Parkinson's disease: results from the Aberdeen whole population study

Two hundred and forty-nine patients with Parkinson's disease previously examined by Mutch et al 1,2 were followed up three and a half years after the original study. Cognitive impairment, age, some postural signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease and high scores on the Hoehn and Yahr scale predicted premature death. Patients were more likely to die from respiratory infections than controls. Respiratory diseases as cause of death recorded on the death certificate were not related to kyphosis, posture scores or Hoehn and Yahr scores before death. The hypothesis is advanced that death of respiratory causes might be associated with signs of general autonomic dysregulation.

Parkinson's disease in Aberdeen: survival after 3.5 years

The increasing age of the general population and of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease suggests that a reappraisal of mortality rates and factors related to increased mortality should be carried out. A 3.5 year follow-up of a whole population sample of 267 patients and 233 controls matched by age, sex and general practitioner, yielded a relative mortality rate of 2.35 (99%-confidence interval: 1.60-3.43). Factors predicting death within the follow-up period were: cognitive impairment, old age, late age of onset, long history of smoking, lower blood pressure, and a variety of signs, symptoms and sequelae of Parkinson's disease associated with decreased mobility. However, age less than 70 years, age of onset before 66 years, absence of kyphosis or normal Webster posture score, mild impairment on the Hoehn & Yahr scale (1-2), or no impairment in a 10-question mental status questionnaire (9-10), were not associated with an increased risk of death.

Multi-center study of Parkinson mortality with early versus later dopa treatment

Four geographically diverse centers provided data on mortality in 359 patients with Parkinson's disease, the majority of whom began dopa treatment during the early experimental trials of 1968 to 1970. Patients were classified into three groups based on the duration of symptoms prior to starting dopa treatment: Group 1, 1 to 3 years; Group 2, 4 to 6 years; Group 3, 7 to 9 years. After 15 years of treatment and 3,689 person-years of observation, Group 1 had an observed-to-expected mortality ratio of 1.43; Group 2, 2.44; and Group 3, 2.95 (p less than 0.05). This result confirmed that increased duration of disease was associated with increased mortality risk. To examine the effect of the time of initiation of dopa treatment, duration of disease was held constant at 17 years for all three groups. Observed-to-expected mortality ratios were 1.43 for Group 1; 2.66 for Group 2; 2.63 for Group 3. This statistically significant advantage for Group 1 (p less than 0.0001) led to the conclusion that early treatment with dopa has a beneficial effect on life expectancy. After 17 years of disease, causes of death in Group 1 were less likely (p = 0.027) to be due to Parkinson's disease than was found in the other groups.

Parkinsonism--drug treatment: Part I

The purpose of this two-part review is to explain current drug treatment in part I and discuss investigational drug therapy and miscellaneous drugs in the management of parkinsonism in part II. The medical approach to this disease is still based on the imbalance between a deficiency of dopamine and a functional increase in acetylcholine. Anticholinergic agents are used to treat the tremors in the early stages of the disease.

Dementia in idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Variables associated with its occurrence in 203 patients

A series of 203 patients with primary Parkinson's disease treated with L-DOPA, with adequate neurological documentation of mental status at serial intervals during their illness, constitutes the study population. Based on the results of the latest neurological examination, slightly less than one-third (29%) had mental impairment assessed as neurologically significant. Of the eleven clinical variables analysed (Cox regression analysis) for potential influence on the occurrence of an organic mental syndrome, four had a statistically significant effect: (1) the stage of disease at initial neurological examination; (2) the occurrence of acute confusional states; (3) the years of Parkinson's prior to L-DOPA; and (4) the total duration of L-DOPA therapy. The pathogenesis of dementia in this subgroup of Parkinson's disease is discussed.

Effect of L-dopa on course of Parkinson's disease

A review of the progress of 176 patients with Parkinson's disease who were given maximum tolerated doses of L-dopa between November, 1969, and December, 1972, showed that the ratio of observed to expected deaths after 12 years' sustained therapy was 2.59 (2.14 for males and 3.64 for females). This contrasts with the overall 6-year follow-up figure for the same patients of 1.45 (1.29 for males and 1.85 for females). These findings indicate that although L-dopa may improve life expectancy during the first 6 years of therapy the protective effect subsequently declines.

Neurological assessment

Neurological assessment of certain movement disorders is described with emphasis on Parkinson's disease. In addition, abnormal behavior and changes in affect are given. Changes in neurological status, i.e., Bradykinesia, rigidity, gait changes, hand-writing irregularity, postural reflexes are outlined. The differential diagnosis of the disease is also indicated in addition to prognosis and to the biochemical correlates of Parkinson's disease.

Problems associated with long-term levodopa treatment of Parkinson's disease

Levodopa treatment improves significantly not only the parkinsonian disability but also the mortality rate. However, during long-term levodopa treatment the therapeutic benefit gradually declines. Furthermore, most cognitive skills improve initially, but long-term levodopa treatment is associated with declining intellectual capacity and dementia. In patients on long-term levodopa treatment there seems to be a low threshold for certain clinical side-effects, especially postural hypotension, psychiatric disturbances and various types of fluctuations in disability. Low age at onset of Parkinson's disease, and at the commencement of levodopa therapy, the duration of levodopa treatment and a high dose of levodopa seem to be significant risk factors for the development of response fluctuations, but not the pretreatment duration of Parkinson's disease nor the disability of the patients. A readjustment of the levodopa dosage, and as an adjuvant drug treatment, deprenyl, a specific inhibitor of MAO type B, or a direct-acting dopamine agonist may prove helpful in the management of fluctuations in disability. It is important, moreover, to try to prevent these phenomena by taking into account the predictive risk factors of response fluctuations in the treatment strategy of Parkinson's disease.

Diagnosis and epidemiology of Parkinson's disease

The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is purely a clinical diagnosis. The most common types of diagnostic error are a failure either to recognize the early, or unusual symptoms, or to differentiate other tremors and extrapyramidal syndromes from Parkinson's disease. The prevalence of Parkinson's disease is increasing. This has resulted from the reduction of the excess mortality by levodopa treatment. In the near future, there will be more older parkinsonian patients with a more prolonged duration of the disease.

Epidemiology of Parkinson's disease--an overview

Among the white races, the prevalence rates of Parkinson's disease range from 66 to 187 per 100,000 population, through without any obvious geographical pattern. A similar variation is found in the annual incidence rates with estimates from 5 to 24 per 100,000 population. The black races may be partially protected against the disease. Both sexes are probably equally affected by the disease. Parkinson's disease usually begins after the age of 50 years, and the risk of the disease steeply rises with advancing age. Parkinson's disease is often omitted in death certificates; mortality rates with Parkinson's disease as an underlying cause of death vary from 0.5 to 3.8 per 100,000. Levodopa treatment, by reducing the excess mortality accompanying the natural course of Parkinson's disease, may increase the number of patients living with this disease in the near future. Postencephalitic Parkinson's disease, developing as a sequel to lethargic encephalitis and accounting for some two thirds of parkinsonian cases shortly after the epidemic, has probably been a transient phase in the epidemiology of Parkinson's disease and is now disappearing. Data from epidemiological investigations have advanced our understanding of the cause of Parkinson's disease only to a small extent. No other characteristic than race has been found to influence the susceptibility to the disease. The environmental risks for Parkinson's disease have not been unequivocally demonstrated. Highly conflicting information is available as to the contribution of hereditary to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Seroepidemiological investigations have shown an increased antibody response against herpes simplex virus in parkinsonian patients, but attempts to detect herpes virus specific products or DNA sequences in the brain material have been unsuccessful.

Treatment of Parkinson's disease: problems with a progressing disease

Long-term follow-up of parkinsonian patients has shown that although levodopa treatment significantly improves the parkinsonian symptoms and the quality of life of parkinsonian patients for several years, various distressing difficulties arise during chronic levodopa treatment, such as the loss of benefit, dyskinesias, on-off phenomena, postural instability and dementia. Clinical, neuropsychological, mortality and post-mortem brain studies indicate that levodopa as a replacement therapy does not modify the progression of the underlying pathology and the natural course of the disease. It seems that levodopa has only a limited period of optimal usefulness in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, at present there is no better or more potent therapeutic agent available than levodopa and it is still the primary treatment of Parkinson's disease. It would be reasonable not to begin levodopa treatment in patients with mild symptoms but to withhold levodopa until the severity of symptoms really makes its use necessary. Thus it is possible to get the maximal long functional benefit. Post-mortem brain studies have shown that in Parkinson's disease there is not only a progressive loss of dopaminergic substantia nigra neurons but there are also significant changes in the striatal dopamine receptors. In some patients a denervation supersensitivity seems to develop and in some others a loss of dopamine receptors in the striatum. However, in advanced parkinsonian patients with a deteriorating response to levodopa, there seem to be still enough dopamine receptors in the striatum for drugs stimulating the dopamine receptors directly to improve the parkinsonian disability. Indeed, recent evidence indicates that dopaminergic agonists, such as bromocriptine, seem to be a significant and valuable adjuvant therapy to levodopa in parkinsonian patients with a deteriorating response and/or the on-off phenomena. Although bromocriptine is not completely satisfactory, it is a significant opening to a new mode of treatment. In the future it will be very important to develop more potent and selective dopaminergic agonists affecting only those striatal receptors which are mainly responsible for the parkinsonian symptoms. Then a better therapeutic response is likely to occur and many central side effects can be avoided. Current difficulties in the management of Parkinson's disease greatly depend on the fact that we are dealing with a symptomatic therapy. It is hoped that future research will soon lead to a discovery of the primary cause and consequently to a causal therapy of Parkinson's disease.

Long-term responses of Parkinson's disease to levodopa therapy

The long-term responses of Parkinson's disease to levodopa therapy were studied in the patient material followed-up for 9 years. Levodopa treatment alleviated the parkinsonian symptoms to a considerable degree and substantially improved the quality of life of the parkinsonian patients. However, after treatment for 2 to 3 years, a progressive deterioration of parkinsonian symptoms was observed accompanied by an increase in the incidence of dyskinesias, on-off phenomena, postural instability and dementia. An analysis of the mortality rates in the follow-up material of 349 patients showed that initially levodopa treatment decreased the excess mortality due to Parkinson's disease. The ratios of observed to expected deaths ranged from 1.10 to 1.67. However, during the ninth year of treatment the ratio increased to 1.95 almost reaching the values obtained in the first years of levodopa treatment. Thus it appears that levodopa has only a limited period of usefulness in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Although levodopa very significantly improves parkinsonian symptoms, it does not arrest the pathological progress and modify the natural course of the disease.

Changing epidemiology of Parkinson's disease: predicted effects of levodopa treatment

Recent studies suggest that levodopa treatment reduces the excess mortality due to Parkinson's disease, found to be three times that expected in the general population. This will affect the equilibrium state of the epidemiology of Parkinson's disease. The predicted increase in prevalence of Parkinson's disease was calculated according to two mortality patterns, one the same as expected in the general population and the other 1.5 times that expected; the proportional increase in prevalence is 1.8 and 1.4, respectively. The predicted increase in the duration of the disease if 6.3 or 3.2 years. As a consequence, there will be an increase of patients with long-term levodopa treatment difficulties, and with Parkinson's disease symptoms not treatable with levodopa, e.g. dementia. This seriously warrants the research of new approaches in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Mortality of patients with Parkinson's disease treated with levodopa

The effect of levodopa on the mortality of patients with Parkinson's disease was investigated in 349 patients treated with levodopa or levodopa combined with decarboxylase inhibitor during 1969-1975 inclusive. During the study period, 61 patients died. The expected mortality was 32.99 resulting in a ratio of actual to expected deaths of 1.85. The excess mortality was accounted for by patients with a severe disease at entry and especially, by the less favorable effect of levodopa treatment than in the living patients. In comparison with the prelevodopa era, the reduction of mortality and the increase of life expectancy of patients with Parkinson's disease during levodopa treatment possibly reflect the decrease of the early mortality due to Parkinson's disease.

An adenylate cyclase of brain reflects propensity for breast cancer in mice

High propensity for breast cancer in mice was associated with low dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the brain, low spontaneous motorization, and low motor responses to injections of the catecholamine precursor, L-dopa.

Implications of combined treatment with 'Madopar' and L-deprenil in Parkinson's disease. A long-term study

In a clinical trial the effect of L-deprenil, a selective irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase (M.A.O.) "type B" in potentiating the anti-kinetic properties of levodopa has been investigated in 223 patients. Both drugs were given orally, levodopa as 'Madopar' (levodopa plus the peripherally acting decarboxylase inhibitor, benserazide) 250 mg three times daily and L-deprenil 5 mg once or twice daily. The addition of L-deprenil to madopar therapy resulted in a statistically significant (P less than 0-01-0-001) reduction in patients' functional disability on average within 60 min after a single oral dose and lasting for 1 to 3 days. Dyskinesia occurred in 16 patients, psychosis in 14, orthostatic hypotension in 5, and nausea in 8. Reduction of the L-deprenil dose to 5 mg in these patients eliminated some of the side-effects. Two-thirds of the patients with side-effects had suffered from parkinsonism for between 7 and 15 years. 14% of the patients failed to respond to madopar-deprenil therapy. It is suggested that L-deprenil may act through inhibition of brain M.A.O. as well as by a psychostimulant effect similar to that of amphetamine which occurs through the release of dopamine. Both mechanisms would make more dopamine available at dopamine receptor sites.