title: An update on Parkinson's disease: improving patient outcomes.
abstract: Neurologists are faced with many challenges in caring for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This chronic, long-term illness that affects at least one million people in the United States requires a coordinated healthcare partnership between the physician and the patient. The importance of early diagnosis is essential to delaying disease progression and early diagnosis and intervention may be aided by recent advances in biomarkers, genomics, and imaging. A misdiagnosis or late diagnosis will lead to deteriorating patient health. Additionally, physicians should incorporate current guidelines into their treatment strategies, and awareness of the reasoning behind these guidelines is critical for appropriate use. Physicians should be up to date on identifying the most appropriate therapies based on emerging science and disease staging, and should implement patient education into their practice. Due to limitations for currently available therapies, adjunctive therapies may lead to improved outcomes in patients with PD. The use of multiple therapies can improve myriad symptoms, more so than a monotherapy. Knowledge of these therapies is critical to achieving best outcomes in patients with PD. This webcast will discuss the current challenges with PD clinical practice, clinical features of PD, the impact of treatment, future treatments for PD and improving patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor of Neurology, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kremens
authors.affiliation: Professor of Neurology, Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, Director, Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor of Neurology, Director, The Johns Hopkins Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: E Ray
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Dorsey
mesh_terms: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D018450:Disease Progression; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D010358:Patient Participation; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents