Patients’ perspective on current treatment options for Parkinson’s Disease

To date, current data on the treatment situation of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are limited. Therefore cross sectional surveys in 4485 patients and in addition, in office based neurologists, were performed. Patients were questioned about their disease history and current treatment, as well as their therapy satisfaction.

The mean lag time between first diagnosis of PD and the first prescription of medication was in 68.9% of patients less than 3 months, in 15.6% between 3 and 6 months, in 7.1% 7 to 12 months, in 3.3% up to 2 years, and in 3.1% more than 2 years. Patient rated themselves in 9.7% to be in the initial course of PD, 44.3% in a progressed stage and 41.3% in an advanced stage. The success of therapy rated 4.9% as very good, 22.6% as good, 43.4% as satisfactory, 23.0% as unsatisfactory, and 2.1% as poor (4.1% no response).

Treatment success was dependent on motor symptoms in the view of 51.3% of patients, on non-motor symptoms in 6.5%, in 23.4% with cognitive ability, in 57.0% with quality of life and in 21.5% with impairment caused by medication. With respect to current therapy 41.8% of patients were affected by frequency of drug intake, 3.2% by type of administration, 12.3% by number of drugs, 27.7% by unsatisfactory efficacy, and 41.3% by side effects (several answers possible).

Overall, only 27.5% of patients rated their current PD medication as very good or a good, in contrast to the physicians (treatment success very good or good in 75.8%). Physicians named control of motor symptoms (89.7%) and quality of life (86.7%) as key criteria for successful therapy.

In summary, PD patients report deficits in drug treatment. There is a clear need for action with regard to the information transfer to patients (including the explanation of side effects or differentiation of symptoms of the PD) and possibly for a change of the medication schedules including other drugs or combination therapies.