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Figure 1. Relationship between timing of diagnosis, the need for symptomatic treatment and the possibility for a patient to participate in an early modifying therapeutic trial of Parkinson's disease. Credit: University of South Florida
The time elapsed between diagnosis and the initiation of symptomatic treatment is essential in trying to find a cure for Parkinson's disease. An article published in Nature Partner Diary: Parkinson's Disease note that too many patients with PD wait too long before consulting a physician or start taking symptomatic drugs before they are needed, thus significantly reducing the number of candidates for clinical trials.
Parkinson's disease is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement. Symptoms include tremors, stiffness, and slow, light movements. The rate of progression varies from one patient to another, making the months following the diagnosis crucial for researchers studying the progression of the disease.
"The critical moment when the patient can be diagnosed with early PD based on mild conventional motor characteristics until it requires symptomatic treatment can be considered the golden year," said lead author Robert A. Hauser, director of the Parkinson's & Movement Disorder Center at the University of South Florida. "It is during this early and untreated stage that the progression of clinical symptoms reflects the progression of the underlying disease."
Hauser says that in order to determine whether or not a potential treatment slowing the disease is working, he must be able to compare treatment with placebo without interference from symptomatic treatment. Otherwise, they will not know if the treatment slows the progression of the disease or they only notice the effects of symptomatic treatment.
This forces patients to ask for an assessment shortly after noticing the occurrence of tremors or slow movement. In addition, physicians should consider referring patients to clinical trials shortly after diagnosis and postponing the prescription of symptomatic drugs until needed. If a patient is waiting for symptomatic treatment to be required, the opportunity to participate in these crucial clinical trials is lost.
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More information:
Robert A. Hauser. Help heal Parkinson's disease: do not waste the Gold Year, npj Parkinson's disease (2018). DOI: 10.1038 / s41531-018-0065-1
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