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Should Levodopa Therapy Be Started Early or Late?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2015

Manfred D. Muenter
Manfred D. Muenter*
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology. Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota
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Abstract

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Clinical and experimental evidence suggests that, in Parkinson’s disease, the late-occurring fluctuations in response to levodopa therapy are due to progression of the disease rather than to the therapy. Therefore, treatment with carbidopa/levodopa should be started early, because postponement does not provide patients with added benefits but deprives them of the most satisfying period of the therapeutic response.

Type
7. Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease
Information
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 11 , Issue S1: Current Concepts and Controversies in Parkinson’s Disease , February 1984 , pp. 195 - 199
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation 1984

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