|
Parkinson's Disease News covers
all significant new research, reports, books, and resources concerning
Parkinson's Disease.
Articles are chosen
on the basis of their medical significance or potential interest. Our
overwhelming priority is the facts, regardless of whether they contradict
prevailing views or vested interests. Analysis and further information is provided
either to explain the background or implications, or to
balance misleading claims. If you notice errors or inadequacies, or dispute what is
written, or want to propose articles, please
e-mail
mail@viartis.net.

LOW RESOLUTION VERSION :
There is a low resolution version of
this web page INTENDED FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT EITHER : use 800x600 resolution on their monitors, or have eyesight difficulties, or
have slow Internet speeds.
GO TO LOW RESOLUTION VERSION
E-MAIL NOTIFICATION : If you would like to be
notified by e-mail when any new research, news reports, new books, or new
resources are added to Parkinson's Disease News, please merely
e-mail
mail@viartis.net
with the message "subscribe". No form of identity is required. E-mail addresses are
not used for any other purpose.

8th February 2010 - News release
BONE MARROW STEM CELL THERAPY
FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE
For years it was being claimed that stem cell
therapy was going to cure Parkinson's Disease. However, stem cell operations
being carried out around the world have failed to have such an effect. One of
the acclaimed stem cell pioneers eventually caused a worsening of symptoms. In
Germany, bone marrow stem cells have been used that
have
been taken from the same patient.
The treatment begins by
collecting a small amount of bone marrow from the patient’s hip via thin needle
mini-puncture under local anaesthesia. The stem cells are separated from the
bone marrow, where they are counted and their vitality is confirmed. The last
step consists of
inserting a fine spinal needle between the patient’s vertebrae and injecting the
stem cells into the cerebrospinal fluid, which flows into the brain.
The cost for Parkinson’s treatment starts at around
7,545 Euros (over 10,000 U.S. dollars).
The XCell-Center in
Germany has released results from their follow-up study of 50 Parkinson’s
Disease patients.
For the full results go to the
News release.
Only just over half of the
patients showed any improvement at all. Improvement was determined merely as any
improvement rather than major improvements.
Only 8% of all patients had significant improvement
confirmed by their doctor. A greater number,
over
10%, actually got worse. Over 90% of the
patients had to continue with the use of Parkinson's Disease drugs. Standard
assessment tests for Parkinson's Disease, such as the UPDRS do not appear to
have been used. Instead, it seems that patients largely assessed themselves even
though surgery for Parkinson's Disease is known to be highly affected by the
placebo effect.
In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
1st February 2010 - New research
THE WORLD'S HIGHEST INCIDENCE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Movement Disorders [2010] Jan 27 [Epub ahead of
print] (J.Linder, H.Stenlund, L.Forsgren)
Complete abstract
The incidence of Parkinson's Disease is the rate at which people are being newly
diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. The world's highest incidence of Parkinson's
Disease has been found to occur in Sweden. The incidence rate is 22.5 per
100,000. In a country the size of the U.S. this equates to 67,000 people being
newly diagnosed with
Parkinson's Disease every single year.
Exceptionally high levels of Parkinson's Disease are usually found to be due to
toxicity.
However,
in Sweden there is no such apparent cause. Sweden has a high life expectancy.
Japan has the highest life expectancy. In both countries there has been a recent
escalation
in the rates of
Parkinson's Disease, most probably due to people living longer in those
countries. This suggests that there could soon be a major increase in the number
of people with Parkinson's Disease due to increased life expectancy in other
countries as well. For every person that has Parkinson's Disease, 10
people alive right now were considered likely to develop it. With increasing
life expectancies that number could be far higher. In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
23rd January 2010 - New research
THE AMERICAN PREVALENCE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Neuroepidemiology [2010] 34 (3) : 143-151 .Annals of Neurology [2009]
66 (6) : 792-798
(Wright Willis A, Evanoff BA, Lian M, Criswell SR,
Racette BA.)
Complete abstract
The prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in the U.S.A.
has been found to differ enormously according to location, age and race. The
prevalence
of Parkinson's Disease
in some counties was found to be nearly 12 times
higher than in
other counties. Urban areas were more affected than
rural areas. Elsewhere, the opposite is usually true. Parkinson's
Disease
is far from being evenly spread across the U.S.A..
The study
revealed a concentration of Parkinson's
Disease in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the
U.S.A.. Nebraska was previously shown to be the worst
affected
Complete abstract.
In the over 65s there was found to be a prevalence in some areas of 1 in 7,
making it in those places a common medical disorder. Whites were affected with
Parkinson's Disease about twice as much as Blacks and Asians, though this
difference is progressively decreasing, especially between Blacks and Whites.
In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
19th January 2010 - New research
PYRIDOXINE FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Annals of Neurology [2009]
66 (6) : 792-798
(Elstner M, Morris CM, Heim K, Lichtner P, Bender
A, Mehta D, Schulte C, Sharma M, Hudson G, Goldwurm S, Giovanetti A, Zeviani M,
Burn DJ, McKeith IG, Perry RH, Jaros E, Krüger R, Wichmann HE, Schreiber S,
Campbell H, Wilson JF, Wright AF, Dunlop M, Pistis G, Toniolo D, Chinnery PF,
Gasser T, Klopstock T, Meitinger T, Prokisch H, Turnbull DM.)
Complete abstract
An increased risk of Parkinson's Disease has been found for the gene for
Pyridoxal kinase. Pyridoxal kinase is an enzyme. Enzymes are chemicals
naturally produced by the body that turn one substance in to another in the
body. Pyridoxal kinase ultimately turns the Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) via
pyridoxal in to pyridoxal phosphate. This is why people
need to consume vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) in order to
produce pyridoxal
phosphate. Pyridoxal phosphate
(and
therefore pyridoxine) is very important for
Parkinson's Disease because it is essential for making use of L-dopa. So without
pyridoxine and pyridoxal phosphate, L-dopa is virtually useless. L-dopa simply
could not form dopamine. It is therefore not surprising that a disturbance in
the gene that makes pyridoxal phosphate can make somebody more likely to develop
Parkinson's Disease. Pyridoxine was actually one of the first means of treating
Parkinson's Disease. In the 1940's pyridoxine was independently being used
in the U.S.S.R. and in the
U.S.A.. However, large quantities of pyridoxine (30mg or more) can have a
detrimental effect, because it breaks down L-dopa in drug form before it is
used. In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
7th January 2010 - New research
WELL WATER AS A CAUSE OF
PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Environmental Health
Perspectives [2009] 117 (12) : 1912-1918 (Gatto NM, Cockburn M, Bronstein J,
Ritz B,
Manthripragada AD)
Complete abstract
Investigators have hypothesized that consuming pesticide-contaminated well water
plays a role in Parkinson's Disease, and several previous epidemiology studies
support this hypothesis. Researchers investigated whether consuming water from
private wells located in areas with documented historical pesticide use was
associated with an
increased
risk. They separately examined six pesticides (diazinon, chlorpyrifos,
propargite, paraquat, dimethoate, and
methomyl) from among 26 chemicals selected for
their potential to pollute groundwater or for their relevance to Parkinson's
Disease, and because at least 10% of their population was exposed to them.
People with Parkinson's Disease were more likely to have consumed private well
water and to have consumed it on average 4.3 years longer than normal. High
levels of three of the pesticides (methomyl, chlorpyrifos, propargite) resulted
in a 70% to 90% increase in the risk of Parkinson's Disease. The study
demonstrated that consuming well water presumably contaminated with pesticides
can increase the likelihood of Parkinson's Disease.
In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
19th December 2009 - New research
THE EFFECT OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE
ON DRIVING ABILITY
Neurology [2009] 73
(24) : 2112-2119 (Uc EY, Rizzo M, Johnson AM, Dastrup E, Anderson SW, Dawson
JD.)
Complete abstract
Overall, drivers with Parkinson's Disease had poorer road safety when driving,
when compared to people that did not have Parkinson's Disease. However, there
was found to be considerable variability among the drivers with Parkinson's
Disease. Some of them performed normally, or even better than normal. Drivers
with Parkinson's Disease committed more safety
errors
compared to controls. Over three quarters of people with Parkinson's Disease
committed more errors. However, the number of errors was not much greater (only
1.26 times more). Lane violations were the most common error category, but
that was the same for people that did not have Parkinson's Disease. Older age
made errors more likely in Parkinson's Disease. Familiarity with the local
driving environment made differences in some error categories insignificant.
Although it is often
assumed that Parkinson's Disease makes driving more difficult, overall it does
not reduce driving ability by much in most people, and in some not at all. In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
18th December 2009 - New book
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Anthony D.Mosley, Deborah
S.Romaine, Ali M.D.Samii
Publisher's
description : This encyclopedia by a neurologist specializing in Parkinson's
disease and a medical writer provides an overview of the illness. More than 600
alphabetical entries with cross-references describe all aspects of the disease.
Entries range in length from one paragraph to several pages and include drugs
used in treatment, surgical procedures, anatomy and physiology, related
conditions, practical considerations such as coping with diagnosis, home safety,
biographies, and organizations. Two appendixes list organizations and resources
and state Medicaid offices. A bibliography of books and articles and an index
complete the work.
Click here for more details. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to
Parkinson's Disease Books.
3rd December 2009 - New research
PARKINSON'S DISEASE WAS
DESCRIBED IN 1690
Parkinsonism Related Disorders
[2009] (D.Bereczki)
Complete abstract
A detailed description of Parkinson's Disease has been discovered that dates
from 1690. That is over a century before the first claimed formal
description in 1817 by James Parkinson, after whom Parkinson's Disease was
subsequently named. Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, most frequently tremor,
have been described since ancient times and throughout history. For more
information go to
The History of Parkinson's Disease.
However, the first
systematic description of Parkinson's Disease is usually attributed to James Parkinson in 1817.
127 years before James Parkinson described it, the Hungarian doctor Ferenc Pápai Páriz (1649-1716) described in his medical text Pax Corporis not only individual signs
of Parkinson's Disease, but all four cardinal signs : tremor, bradykinesia,
rigor and postural instability. The book was published in Hungarian, which because it is
understood by so few people, has resulted in his description of Parkinson's
Disease being
ignored in the medical literature all this time.
In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
26th November 2009 - New research
DOPAMINERGIC TRANSPLANTS FAIL IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Annals of Neurology [2009] 66
(5) : 591-596 (Olanow CW, Kordower JH, Lang AE, Obeso JA.)
Complete abstract
For years, cell-based therapies that involve the transplantation of dopaminergic
cells in to the brain have attracted considerable interest as possible
treatments for Parkinson's Disease. However, all of the double-blind,
sham-controlled, studies have failed to meet their hoped for efficacy.
Transplantation of dopamine cells derived from the fetal mesencephalon is also
associated with a potentially disabling form of dyskinesia that persists even
after withdrawal of L-dopa. In addition, disability in advanced patients
primarily results from features that are not
primarily
due to insufficient dopamine. These features are not adequately controlled with
dopaminergic therapies and are thus unable to respond to dopaminergic
transplants. Implanted dopaminergic neurons have also recently been found to
contain Lewy bodies, which are signs of cell damage, suggesting that even after
transplantation they are dysfunctional and may have been affected by the
Parkinson's Disease process. Although stem cell therapies have been tried in
Parkinson's Disease based on the claim that there is a massive loss of dopamine
producing cells in Parkinson's Disease, not a single
study has ever shown this to be true.
In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
18th November 2009 - New research
THE EFFECT OF MOBILE PHONE USE
ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Ugeskrift for laeger [2009] 171
(45) : 3268-3271 (Schüz J, Waldemar G, Olsen JH, Johansen C.)
Complete abstract
Researchers assessed the effect
of the use of mobile phones on neurological disorders including Parkinson's
Disease. It has long been suspected that mobile phones have a detrimental effect
on the nervous system. In a huge study, they found that mobile phone use
increased the likelihood of migraine and vertigo by 10% to 20%. However,
long
term use of mobile phones actually reduced rather than increased the likelihood
of Parkinson's Disease and dementia by 30% to 40%. The researchers offer no
reason why this might be. Mobile phones emit
electromagnetic radiation. The use of electromagnetic radiation
has recently been
introduced for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. It involves the use of a
low level electromagnetic field in order to lessen the symptoms. For more
information go to
Magnetic Therapy. If long term mobile
phone use causes any lessening of Parkinson's Disease, given the similarity of
their effects, mobile phone use is likely to be acting unintentionally by
precisely the same means as magnetic therapy.
In order to refer to this article on its own
click here.
13th November 2009 - News release
MICHAEL J.FOX FOUNDATION FUNDS
FOUR NEW APPROACHES FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE
The Michael J.Fox Foundation has
funded four novel approaches for dealing with problems caused by Parkinson's
Disease. (1) Anders Björklund is assessing the hypothesis that the brain’s
Serotonin
system plays a role in dyskinesia, the excessive movements brought on by
long-term dopamine replacement therapy. The team is initiating a pilot study of
Eltoprazine, a medicine capable of blocking inappropriate release of dopamine
from serotonin
terminals.
(2) Daniel Weintraub will conduct the first placebo-controlled trial of an agent
to treat impulse control disorders associated with the use of dopamine agonists.
Naltrexone, which blocks opioid receptors, is approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of alcohol dependence. It
has been shown to be beneficial for pathological gambling. (3) Alvaro
Pascual-Leone and his colleagues will test the potential of non-invasive
repetitive
Transcranial magnetic stimulation in order to
improve symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease symptoms. (4) Daniel Tarsy is
investigating whether group singing can improve the decreased voice volume
experienced by many people who have Parkinson's Disease. For more information go
to the
News release.
In order to refer to this article on its own
click here.
3rd November 2009 - News release
STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY FOR
PARKINSON'S DISEASE TREMORS
Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)
is claimed to offer a less invasive way to eliminate tremors caused by
Parkinson's Disease than Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and Radiofrequency (RF)
treatments, and is as effective, according to a long-term study. Stereotactic
radiosurgery is a precise form of radiation therapy used primarily to treat
tumors and
other
abnormalities of the brain. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a non-surgical
procedure that delivers a single high-dose of precisely-targeted radiation using
highly focused gamma-ray or x-ray beams that converge on the specific area or
areas of the brain where the abnormality resides. For more information go to
Stereotactic Surgery. In a long term
study amongst hard-to-treat tremors caused by Parkinson’s Disease and Essential
Tremors, 84% of patients had significant or complete resolution of tremors. In
patients with Parkinson’s disease, 83% had near or complete tremor resolution,
while those with Essential Tremor had 87% tremor resolution. For more
information go to the
News release.
In order to refer to this article on its own
click here.
2nd November 2009 - New book
THE MUHAMMAD ALI PARKINSON CENTER 100 QUESTIONS
& ANSWERS ABOUT PARKINSON DISEASE
Abraham Lieberman
Publisher's
description : Whether you're a newly diagnosed patient, or are a friend or
relative of someone suffering from Parkinson Disease, this book offers help. The
Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center 100 Questions & Answers About Parkinson Disease,
Second Edition gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions
about treatment options, quality of life, and sources of support. Written by an
internationally recognized expert on Parkinson Disease, this book is an
invaluable resource for anyone coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of
this devastating disease. All the books royalties are donated to the Muhammad
Ali Parkinson Center.
Click here for more details. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to
Parkinson's Disease Books.
24th October 2009 - New research
GAUCHER'S DISEASE AND
PARKINSON'S DISEASE
New England Journal of Medicine
[2009] 361 (17) : 1651-1661
(Sidransky et al)
Complete abstract
Gaucher's Disease has been found to make Parkinson's Disease five times more
likely. Gaucher's Disease is an inherited metabolic disorder in which
harmful quantities of a substance called
glucocerebroside can accumulate in the spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow,
and the brain. Glucocerebroside accumulates
because
glucocerebrosidase
(the
chemical that breaks it down) is deficient in Gaucher's Disease. It is
named after the French doctor Philippe Gaucher, who originally described it. For
more information go to
Gaucher's Disease. A lot of people are
carriers for Gaucher's Disease without realising it. Around 1 in 100 people are
a carrier for Gaucher's Disease. In Ashkenazi Jews as many as 1 in 15 are a
carrier.
Those people that had Gaucher's Disease and
Parkinson's Disease developed Parkinson's Disease at an earlier age, were more
likely to have affected relatives, and were more likely to have atypical
clinical manifestations.
Although it is known what causes Gaucher's Disease,
it is not known how that can also cause the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.
In order to refer to this article on its own
click here.
23rd October 2009 - New book
DEEP WITHIN THE BRAIN : LIVING WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Helmut Dubiel, Hubert H.
Fernandez
Publisher's
description : At the age of forty-six, philosopher and university professor
Helmut Dubiel was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In the early stages of his
sickness, fearing censure and ostracism, Dubiel did his utmost to conceal his
condition. But when his symptoms became too obvious to camouflage, he was
obliged to admit defeat and decided to
undergo deep brain stimulation surgery. In this fascinating book, Dubiel
describes the course of his illness with a philosopher's aplomb, ennobling his
personal experience with intellectual flair and scientific insight as he makes
connections between his own medical drama and some of today's most significant
global tendencies.
Click here for more details. For more books concerning Parkinson's Disease go to
Parkinson's
Disease Books.
19th October 2009 - New research
THE EFFECT OF MAO
INHIBITORS ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Cochrane Database
of systematic reviews [2009] 4 : CD006661 (R.Caslake,
A.Macleod, N.Ives, R.Stowe, C.Counsell)
Complete abstract
Researchers compared the effect of MAO-B inhibitors on Parkinson's Disease with
the use of dopaminergic drugs. MAO-B inhibitors that are commonly used with
Parkinson's Disease are Selegiline (Deprenyl) and Rasagiline (Azilect). MAO-B
inhibitors help to sustain the levels of dopamine. For more information go to
MAO inhibitors.
Those
people taking MAO-B inhibitors were far more likely to require additional
treatments than those taking L-dopa or dopamine agonists. MAO-B inhibitors were
sufficient on their own in very few people. MAO-B inhibitors caused far fewer
motor fluctuations than L-dopa, but a bit more than dopamine agonists.
Withdrawals due to adverse events were far less common with MAO-B inhibitors
than with dopamine agonists. The authors concluded that MAO-B inhibitors are one
option for the early treatment of Parkinson's Disease, but that they have weaker
symptomatic effects than L-dopa and dopamine agonists.
In order to refer to this article on its own
click here.
15th October 2009 - News release
THE EFFECT OF COGANE ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Phytopharm have claimed that Cogane has
reversed the effects of Parkinson's Disease.
However, the study did not measure the long term effects, and the full details
of the clinical trial have not been made available for analysis.
For more information go to their
News release.
Cogane, which can be taken orally, readily crosses the blood-brain barrier and
has been shown to stimulate the release of GDNF. GDNF can indirectly stimulate
the formation of
dopamine,
the substance whose insufficiency causes Parkinson's Disease. For more
information go to
Cogane.
However, GDNF deficiency has never been shown to be the cause of Parkinson's
Disease. GDNF was found to be ineffective in clinical trials in humans. Although
Phytopharm claim that Cogane can reverse the effects of Parkinson's Disease,
Cogane has never reversed the effects of Parkinson's Disease in anyone. The
efficacy study was only carried out on Macaque monkeys. Macaque monkeys do not
have Parkinson's Disease. What is described as Parkinson's Disease in monkeys is
usually only drug induced. In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
14th October 2009 - News report
AGENT ORANGE ACCEPTED
AS A CAUSE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has acknowledged Agent Orange as a
cause of Parkinson's Disease.
For more information go to the
News report.
Agent Orange is the
name given to a herbicide used by the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War
as a means of warfare. For more information go to
Agent Orange. In practical terms, those Veterans who served in the
Vietnam War and who have Parkinson's Disease will not have to prove an
association between their Parkinson's Disease and their military service in
Vietnam. This acknowledgement simplifies and speeds up any application they make
for benefits. For their web site go to the
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
Their
acknowledgement of an association is based entirely on
the "Veterans and Agent Orange Update
2008", which can be
read
here.
Although the report claims to "link" Agent Orange to Parkinson's Disease, it
fails to provide any evidence at all showing that Agent Orange had caused
Parkinson's Disease. There have been over
300 published studies on the effects of Agent Orange, yet none of
them have shown that Agent Orange has ever caused Parkinson's Disease.
Toxic exposure can not begin to have an
effect on Parkinson's Disease years or decades after toxic exposure as is often
claimed. It can occur in almost anyone without toxicity being the cause.
In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
11th October 2009 - New research
DUAL LAYER
L-DOPA FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Clinical Neuropharmacology [2009] 32 (4) :
189-192 (Hinson VK, Goetz CG, Leurgans S, Fan W, Nguyen T, Hsu A.)
Complete abstract
IPX054, which is a form of L-dopa, in which there
are two layers, has been shown to be slightly more effective than conventional
forms of L-dopa, despite only having to be taken twice a day instead of
throughout the day. L-dopa usually comes in two different formats : either the
immediate release version, which satisfies the immediate need for
L-dopa, or the controlled release version, which
avoids the excessive effects of L-dopa by spreading out the effect
over
time. IPX054 combines the two types of L-dopa, immediate release and controlled
release, in one tablet, in two different layers, aiming to provide the benefits
of both formats. In clinical practice, this ease of administration may offer
improved treatment compliance and effectiveness.
In order to refer to this
article on its own
click here.
7th
October 2009 - News release
MAGNETIC THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Pico-Tesla claim to have
shown “significant improvement over placebo” in reducing Parkinson’s
disease symptoms using their magnetic therapy Magneceutical, that persisted for
up to two months after treatment without side effects.
The
level of improvement was not disclosed.
For more information read
the
News release. Magneceutical Therapy
involves the use of an extremely low-level electromagnetic field applied by a
specially designed device, the Resonator, along with proprietary therapeutic
protocols, intended to improve a number of the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s
and other neurological disorders. Helmholtz coils immerse the entire patient in
a low strength electromagnetic field. The strength and duration of the magnetic
fields are regulated by Pico-Tesla via the internet. The mechanism of action of
magnetic therapy is not known. For more information concerning the method
used go to
The Resonator.
In order to refer to this article
on its own
click here.
5th October
2009 - New research
L-SULPIRIDE AS A CAUSE OF
PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Movement Disorders [2009]
Sep 30 [Epub ahead of print] (Shin HW, Kim MJ, Kim JS, Lee MC, Chung SJ.)
Complete abstract
The drug L-Sulpiride has been found to commonly cause the symptoms of
Parkinson's Disease.
Levosulpiride is widely used for the management
of
Dyspeptic
Syndrome, Retarded Gastric Excretion, Vertigo, Vomiting And Nausea.
For more information go to
L-Sulpiride. Little
was known about L-Sulpiride-induced movement disorders
(LIM).
So the aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of
patients with L-Sulpiride-induced movement disorders (LIM). The most common
L-Sulpiride-induced movement disorder was Parkinsonism making up over 90% of cases,
followed by tardive dyskinesia with about 10% of cases, and isolated tremor
affecting only 3% of cases.
The symptoms are often severe, and
L-Sulpiride-induced movement disorders still persisted even after
withdrawal of L-Sulpiride in nearly half of those patients with L-Sulpiride induced
Parkinsonism.
In order to refer to this article
on its own
click here.
1st October 2009 - New research
THE EFFECT OF RASAGILINE ON
PARKINSON'S DISEASE
New England Journal of
Medicine [2009] 361 (13) : 1268-1278 (Olanow CW, et al)
Complete abstract
Claims based on the
results of a recent clinical trial that Rasagiline (Azilect) slows the
progression of Parkinson's Disease are not supported at all by that study's
results. Yet it has still been very widely, and falsely claimed that Rasagiline
slows the progression of Parkinson's Disease. Rasagiline is a MAO inhibitor,
which is a type of drug that is often used in Parkinson's Disease alone, or
alongside other treatments.
For more information go to
Rasagiline.
The clinical trial involved over a thousand patients.
In early-start treatment
with Rasagiline at a dose of 1 mg per day, there was actually a worsening of
Parkinson's Disease symptoms throughout the clinical trial. As time progressed
during the clinical trial, the effect of 1mg Rasagiline was found to be
no different from those people that had taken Rasagiline for only half of the
time. The use of 2mg Rasagiline per day was also shown to be no better than the
use of 1mg or delaying the use of Rasagiline.
In order to refer to this article
on its own
click here.
ARCHIVES
2009 : January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
2008 :
January
February
March April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2007 :
July
August September
October
November
December
|