title: No sex differences in use of dopaminergic medication in early Parkinson disease in the US and Canada - baseline findings of a multicenter trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sex differences in Parkinson disease clinical features have been reported, but few studies have examined sex influences on use of dopaminergic medication in early Parkinson disease. The objective of this study was to test if there are differences in the type of dopaminergic medication used and levodopa equivalent daily dose between men and women with early Parkinson disease enrolled in a large multicenter study of Creatine as a potential disease modifying therapy - the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Exploratory Trials in Parkinson Disease Long-Term Study-1.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline data of 1,741 participants from 45 participating sites were analyzed. Participants from the United States and Canada were enrolled within five years of Parkinson Disease diagnosis. Two outcome variables were studied: type of dopaminergic medication used and levodopa equivalent daily dose at baseline in the Long-Term Study-1. Chi-square statistic and linear regression models were used for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant differences in the frequency of use of different types of dopaminergic medications at baseline between men and women with Parkinson Disease. A small but statistically significant difference was observed in the median unadjusted levodopa equivalent daily dose at baseline between women (300 mg) and men (325 mg), but this was not observed after controlling for disease duration (years since Parkinson disease diagnosis), disease severity (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Motor and Activities of Daily Living Scores), and body weight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this large multicenter study, we did not observe sex differences in the type and dose of dopaminergic medications used in early Parkinson Disease. Further research is needed to evaluate the influence of male or female sex on use of dopaminergic medication in mid- and late-stage Parkinson Disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Chizoba C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Umeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin, Texas, United States of America.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Erika F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Augustine
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Rohit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dhall
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America.
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Dewey
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Zoltan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mari
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie A
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wills
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Chadwick W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Christine
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jay S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine (Neurology), Medical Genetics and Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Oksana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Suchowersky
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D015259:Dopamine Agents; D007980:Levodopa