Six years of high-level levodopa therapy in severely akinetic parkinsonian patients.
The clinical course and the side effects of high-level levodopa therapy over a six-year period were studied in 80 severely akinetic parkinsonian patients treated for the first time before June 1968. Levodopa improved the quality of life in greater than 53% of patients, but failed to modify the progression of the disease or change the prognosis. Seventeen "idiopathic Parkinson" patients died after a duration of illness of 9.5 years. Despite the drawbacks, levodopa is still the best available treatment for akinetic parkinsonism.
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D011379:Prognosis
D007980:Levodopa