Search Results (19)

Background/Objectives: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder resulting in bradykinesia, rigidity and tremor, as well as numerous non-motor symptoms. Malnutrition in PD is correlated with levodopa-induced dyskinesia, decreased food intake, gastrointestinal symptoms and neurodegenerative processes. With disease progression, oral levodopa treatment becomes insufficient. One of the therapies used in advanced PD is levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel. Its effect on the weight and nutrition of PD patients is poorly understood. The aim of this prospective single-center observational cohort study was to assess the effect of this treatment on weight, body composition and biochemical parameter changes over a two-year-long observation. The mood, cognition and motor status of the patients were also assessed. Methods: This study included 15 patients with advanced PD treated with levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel. Body composition analysis, anthropometric measurements, blood tests, psychological assessments and disease control measurements were carried out over a span of two years after the initiation of therapy. Results: Significant improvement in disease management was observed. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical parameters and psychological assessments did not show significant differences. Among the body composition parameters, only resting metabolic rate and extracellular and intracellular water percentages were significantly affected. Conclusions: Our findings indicate a lack of negative effects of levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel treatment on weight loss in patients with Parkinson’s Disease in a 2-year long observation period. Furthermore, better disease management may result in a lower energy expenditure due to less time with dyskinesia. The limitations of our study include a small study group and limited follow-up. Full article

Introduction: The management of sedation during percutaneous endoscopic gastrojejunostomy (PEG-J) placement in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) is challenging due to the complex interactions between PD treatment, anesthetic agents, and the disease’s motor and non-motor symptoms. This study evaluates the effectiveness and safety of a target-controlled infusion (TCI) propofol protocol in the context of PEG-J placement in advanced PD patients. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 169 patients diagnosed with advanced Parkinson’s disease (Hoehn and Yahr stages 4 and 5) who underwent PEG-J placement at Târgu Mureș County Emergency Clinical Hospital, Romania. Sedation was induced and maintained using TCI propofol, with additional benzodiazepines and short-acting opioids, while muscle relaxants were not used. Procedural success rates and adverse outcomes were assessed for 30 days post-procedure. Results: The sedation protocol demonstrated a high procedural success rate. No deaths were reported within 30 days post-procedure. Conclusion: This study highlights the feasibility and clinical applicability of a TCI propofol protocol for PEG-J placement in patients with advanced PD (stages 4 and 5). While no deaths were recorded within the 30-day follow-up, the sample size is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions regarding long-term safety. Full article

Background and Objectives: The rapid growth of the number of advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients has caused a significant increase in the use of device-aided therapies (DATs), including levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) and continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion (CSAI). The objective of this study was to evaluate patients’ satisfaction and the factors influencing preferences for CSAI and LCIG. Materials and Methods: The research focused on individuals diagnosed with advanced PD undergoing DAT at the Neurology Department of the University Hospital in Katowice. A telephone survey conducted between June and July 2024 evaluated the experiences of patients with LCIG and CSAI. The Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8) and the Stress Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFC-s) were applied. Based on medical record data comprising reasons for the exclusion of individuals, disease-related and treatment data were collected. Results: Among the original cohort of 64 patients, 50 completed the survey, including 31 who might choose between infusion therapies. The average patient ages were 70.6 ± 4.7 (CSAI) and 71.2 ± 7.2 years (LCIG), with disease durations of 15 (IQR: 12–19) and 18 (IQR: 13–19) years, respectively. LCIG patients presented higher PDQ-8 scores (20 (IQR: 13–27) vs. 13 (IQR: 6–19), p = 0.008), and higher BSFC-s scores (19 (IQR: 12–21) vs. 9 (IQR: 2.5–13), p = 0.011). Furthermore, significant factors influencing patient preferences included fear of surgery (75% vs. 36.8%, p = 0.043) and concerns about DAT safety (83.3% vs. 47.4%, p = 0.049). Conclusions: LCIG and CSAI therapies offer benefits and disadvantages, with safety concerns and fear of surgery seeming to be decisive in the decision-making process. Full article

Background and objective: Staging Parkinson’s disease (PD) with a novel simple classification called MNCD, based on four axes (Motor; Non-motor; Cognition; Dependency) and five stages, correlated with disease severity, patients’ quality of life and caregivers’ strain and burden. Our aim was to apply the MNCD classification in advanced PD patients treated with device-aided therapy (DAT). Patients and Methods: A multicenter observational retrospective study of the first patients to start the levodopa-entacapone-carbidopa intestinal gel (LECIG) in Spain was performed (LECIPARK study). The MNCD total score (from 0 to 12) and MNCD stages (from 1 to 5) were collected by the neurologist at V0 (before starting LECIG) and V2 (follow-up visit). Wilcoxon’s signed rank and Marginal Homogeneity tests were applied to compare changes from V0 to V2. Results: Sixty-seven PD patients (58.2% males; 69.9 ± 9.3 years old) with a mean disease duration of 14.4 ± 6.5 years were included. The mean treatment duration (V2) was 172.9 ± 105.2 days. At V0, patients were classified as in stage 2 (35.8%), 3 (46.3%) or 4 (17.9%). The frequency of patients in stage 4 decreased to 9% at V2 (p = 0.001). The MNCD total score decreased from 6.27 ± 1.94 at V0 to 5.21 ± 2.23 (p < 0.0001). From V0 to V2, the motor (M; p < 0.0001) and non-motor symptom (N; p < 0.0001) burden decreased, and autonomy for the activities of daily living (D; p = 0.005) improved. Conclusions: The MNCD classification could be useful to classify advanced PD patients and to monitor the response to a DAT. Full article

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a gradually worsening neurodegenerative disorder affecting the nervous system, marked by a slow progression and varied symptoms. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting over six million people in the world. Its multifactorial etiology includes environmental, genomic, and epigenetic factors. Clinical symptoms consist of non-motor and motor symptoms, with motor symptoms being the classic presentation. Therapeutic approaches encompass pharmacological, non-pharmacological, and surgical interventions. Traditional pharmacological treatment consists of administering drugs (MAOIs, DA, and levodopa), while emerging evidence explores the potential of antidiabetic agents for neuroprotection and gene therapy for attenuating parkinsonian symptoms. Non-pharmacological treatments, such as exercise, a calcium-rich diet, and adequate vitamin D supplementation, aim to slow disease progression and prevent complications. For those patients who have medically induced side effects and/or refractory symptoms, surgery is a therapeutic option. Deep brain stimulation is the primary surgical option, associated with motor symptom improvement. Levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel infusion through percutaneous endoscopic gastrojejunostomy and a portable infusion pump succeeded in reducing “off” time, where non-motor and motor symptoms occur, and increasing “on” time. This article aims to address the general aspects of PD and to provide a comparative comprehensive review of the conventional and the latest therapeutic advancements and emerging treatments for PD. Nevertheless, further studies are required to optimize treatment and provide suitable alternatives. Full article

Background and Objectives: Currently, no tool exists to predict clinical outcomes in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) under levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) treatment. The aim of this study was to develop a novel deep neural network model to predict the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced PD after two years of LCIG therapy. Materials and Methods: This was a longitudinal, 24-month observational study of 59 patients with advanced PD in a multicenter registry under LCIG treatment from September 2019 to September 2021, including 43 movement disorder centers. The data set includes 649 measurements of patients, which make an irregular time series, and they are turned into regular time series during the preprocessing phase. Motor status was assessed with the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Parts III (off) and IV. The NMS was assessed by the NMS Questionnaire (NMSQ) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), the quality of life by PDQ-39, and severity by Hoehn and Yahr (HY). Multivariate linear regression, ARIMA, SARIMA, and Long Short-Term Memory–Recurrent NeuralNetwork (LSTM-RNN) models were used. Results: LCIG significantly improved dyskinesia duration and quality of life, with men experiencing a 19% and women a 10% greater improvement, respectively. Multivariate linear regression models showed that UPDRS-III decreased by 1.5 and 4.39 units per one-unit increase in the PDQ-39 and UPDRS-IV indexes, respectively. Although the ARIMA-(2,0,2) model is the best one with AIC criterion 101.8 and validation criteria MAE = 0.25, RMSE = 0.59, and RS = 0.49, it failed to predict PD patients’ features over a long period of time. Among all the time series models, the LSTM-RNN model predicts these clinical characteristics with the highest accuracy (MAE = 0.057, RMSE = 0.079, RS = 0.0053, mean square error = 0.0069). Conclusions: The LSTM-RNN model predicts, with the highest accuracy, gender-dependent clinical outcomes in patients with advanced PD after two years of LCIG therapy. Full article

Levodopa–entacapone–carbidopa intestinal gel infusion is a relatively new treatment option for advanced Parkinson’s disease. We aimed to describe and analyze the characteristics of de novo levodopa–entacapone–carbidopa intestinal gel therapy in 20 consecutive patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease. We assessed the profile of motor complications by evaluating the following: motor fluctuations, dyskinesias, and the freezing phenomenon at baseline (before the testing period) and before discharge. The treatment significantly reduced the duration of daily hours spent in off time compared with baseline pre-treatment values from a mean of 4.8 ± 0.9 h/day to a mean of 1.4 ± 0.5 h per day (p < 0.001). The duration and severity of peak-dose dyskinesia were also significantly reduced compared with baseline values. Out of the 10 patients who reported freezing, 8 did not present this complication at the pre-discharge assessment. Significant improvements were observed in Hoehn and Yahr scale scores in both the on and off states. The levodopa–entacapone–carbidopa intestinal gel therapy was well tolerated during the follow-up period immediately after initiation. Despite a relatively severe stage of the disease, all patients experienced a significant improvement in motor fluctuations, dyskinesias, and the freezing phenomenon. Full article

Background: To date, no studies comparing complication rates between patients with nutritional percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (N-PEG) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with percutaneous endoscopic gastro-jejunostomy (JET-PEG) for treatment administration have been published. Our study aimed to compare complication rates and the number of re-endoscopies between N-PEG and JET-PEG patients. Methods: Individuals requiring N-PEG or JET-PEG insertion between 2014 and 2021 were included in this single-center retrospective observational study. Complications were divided into time-related medical and technical complications. Reasons for post-insertion re-endoscopies and their number were also analyzed. Results: Eighty-seven subjects, 47 (54.02%) in JET-PEG group and 40 (45.98%) in the N-PEG group, were included. Early and technical complications were more frequent in JET-PEG vs. N-PEG subjects (70% vs. 10% [p < 0.001], and 54.5% vs. 5.1% [p < 0.001], respectively). The presence of psychiatric disease was associated with a higher number of early complications (p < 0.002). All three types of complications were significantly more frequent in subjects where a healthcare professional did not handle PEG (p < 0.001). Subjects with JET-PEG required a higher number of re-endoscopies compared to the N-PEG group (57.1% vs. 35%, p = 0.05). Conclusions: Complications are significantly more common in individuals with JET-PEG than those with N-PEG, which can be attributed to higher mobility in PD patients. Full article

Advanced Parkinson’s disease (APD) cannot be treated efficiently using the classical medications however, in recent decades invasive therapeutical methods were implemented and confirmed as effective. One of these methods makes it possible to continue the levodopa (LD) supplementation as a gel administered directly into the upper intestine. However, there are a number of unanswered questions regarding this method. Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed a 10-year period of selected patients that were treated with levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG). We included all APD patients with motor fluctuations and dyskinesia at presentation. LCIG treatment was started in 150 patients: on average these patients received LD for 10.6 ± 4.4 years with a frequency of 5.2 ± 1.0/day until the introduction of LCIG. The estimated and the real LCIG dose differed significantly (mean: 1309 ± 321 mg vs. 1877 ± 769 mg). The mean duration of LCIG administration was 19.8 ± 3.6 h, but in a number of 62 patients we had to administer it for 24 h, to maximize the therapeutic benefit. A carefully and individually adjusted LCIG treatment improves the quality of life of APD patients, but questions remain unresolved even after treating a large number of patients. It is important to share the ideas and observations based on the real-life experience related to the optimal timing, the appropriate dose and duration of administration of the LCIG. Full article

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is currently considered progressive neurodegeneration of both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Widespread neuropathological changes lead to a complex clinical presentation with typical motor (hypokinesia, tremor, and rigidity) and various nonmotor symptoms. Orthostatic hypotension is one of the most disabling nonmotor features contributing to increased morbidity and mortality and decreased quality of life (QoL). Our study aimed to disclose the effect of a continuous infusion of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) on symptoms of orthostatic hypotension. Nine patients indicated for LCIG and eight matched patients on optimized medical treatment (OMT) were examined with scales for orthostatic symptoms (SCOPA-AUT), nonmotor symptoms and motor fluctuations (MDS-UPDRS), and QoL (PDQ39) at both baseline and after six months. The scores of “light-headedness after standing” and “fainting” decreased in the LCIG group compared to the OMT group. Treatment with LCIG was associated with a significantly higher decrease in the score of “light-headedness after standing”. Change in the PDQ39 correlated positively with fluctuation improvement and with change in the scores of both “light-headedness” and “fainting”. LCIG treatment improved symptoms of orthostatic hypotension in patients with PD mainly by a reduction in motor complications. Decreased severity in both motor and nonmotor fluctuations was connected also with improved QoL. Continuous treatment with LCIG should be considered not only in the case of severe motor fluctuation but also in patients with nonmotor fluctuations responsive to dopaminergic treatment. Full article

Background: Device-aided therapies (DAT), such as continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion (CSAI), levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel infusion (LCIG), and deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS), have markedly changed the treatment landscape of advanced Parkinson’s disease (aPD). In some patients, it is necessary to switch or combine DATs for various reasons. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore the frequency and reasons for switching between or combining DATs in two movement disorders centres in Slovenia and Israel. Methods: We collected and analysed demographic and clinical data from aPD patients who switched between or combined DATs. Motor and non-motor reasons, adverse events for switching/combining, and their frequency were examined, as was the effect of DAT using the Global Improvement subscale of the Clinical Global Impression Scale, Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III, Mini Mental State Examination, and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire 39. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were used to analyse the data. Results: Of 505 aPD patients treated with DATs at both centres between January 2009 and June 2021, we identified in a total of 30 patients (6%) who either switched DAT (n = 24: 7 LCIG-to-STN−DBS, 1 LCIG-to-CSAI, 5 CSAI-to STN−DBS, 8 CSAI-to-LCIG, 1 STN−DBS-to-LCIG, 1 LCIG-to-CSAI-to-STN−DBS, and 1 STN−DBS-to-CSAI-to-LCIG) or combined DATs (n = 6:5 STN−DBS+LCIG and 1 STN−DBS+CSAI-to-STN−DBS+LCIG). In most of these patients, an inadequate control of motor symptoms was the main reason for switching or combining DATs, but non-motor reasons (related to the disease and/or DAT) were also identified. Conclusions: Switching between and combining DATs is uncommon, but in some patients brings substantial clinical improvement and should be considered in those who have either inadequate symptom control on DAT treatment or have developed DAT-related complications. Full article

Patients with Parkinson’s disease that may benefit from device-assisted therapy can be identified with guidelines like Navigate PD. The decision to offer advanced treatment and the choice of treatment modality are, however, not straightforward, and some patients respond less favorably to a chosen therapy. Measurements with the Parkinson Kinetigraph (PKG) can detect motor fluctuations and could therefore predict patients that respond better or worse to intestinal levodopa/carbidopa gel infusion (LCIG). In a retrospective analysis of 45 patients that had been selected to start LCIG between 2014 and 2020, the effects of baseline PKG and clinical characteristic on the outcome were determined with ordinal regression. Although all patients had been found to have handicapping medication-related symptom fluctuations, patients without clear objective off fluctuations in the baseline PKG had low odds ratio for success. Lower odds for success were also found with increasing age, whereas gender, medication intensity and baseline PKG summary scores (median bradykinesia and dyskinesia scores, fluctuation dyskinesia score and percent time with tremor) had no significant effect. Absence of easily identified off-periods in the PKG has a negative prognostic value for the effect of LCIG and could prompt noninvasive infusion evaluation before surgery. Full article

The aim of the COmedication Study assessing Mono- and cOmbination therapy with levodopa-carbidopa inteStinal gel (COSMOS) was to assess the use of levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) as monotherapy in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (APD) in routine clinical practice. COSMOS was an international observational study with one cross-sectional visit and retrospective data collection. In Romania, 95 adult patients with APD on LCIG treatment for at least 12 months were enrolled and stratified according to their LCIG therapy after 12 months: monotherapy (without any add-on PD medication), monotherapy with night PD medication and LCIG + add-on medication. Compared to the moment of LCIG initiation, the percentage of patients on monotherapy increased at three months after LCIG initiation and remained constant up to 12 months, when 30.5% of the patients were on LCIG monotherapy and 11.6% were on monotherapy with night medication. “Off” time and “On” time with dyskinesia decreased from LCIG initiation to patient visit in all groups. LCIG monotherapy with or without night medication may provide a simplified treatment option for selected APD patients, with long-term efficacy similar to that of LCIG plus add-on medication. Full article

Background: Advanced Parkinson’s disease (APD) has been recently defined as a stage in which certain symptoms and complications are present, with a detrimental influence on the overall patient’s health conditions and with a poor response to conventional treatments. However, historically, the term APD has been controversial, thus consequently, APD prevalence has not been previously studied. Objectives: The main objective was to determine the prevalence of APD in patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD in hospitals of the Spanish National Healthcare System. Secondary objectives were the prevalence and incidence of PD and the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics and quality of life of patients with APD or non-APD. Methods: This was a non-interventional, cross-sectional, multicenter, national study in the hospital setting. Results: The study population included 929 patients with PD (mean age 71.8 ± 10.1 years; 53.8% male) and a mean time since diagnosis of 6.6 ± 5.4 years. At the time of diagnosis, 613 patients (66.06%) reported having had premotor symptoms. The Hoehn and Yahr stage was 1 in 15.7% of the patients, 2 in 42.8%, 3 in 30.1%, 4 in 9.9%, and 5 in 1.4%; 46.9% of the patients had comorbidities (mean age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index 3.5 ± 1.7; median 10-year survival 77%) and the mean 8-item Parkinson’s Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire was 27.8 ± 20.5. We found an APD prevalence of 38.21% (95%CI: 35.08–41.42%), a PD prevalence of 118.4 (95%CI: 117.3–119.6), and a PD incidence of 9.4 (95%CI: 5.42–13.4) all per 100,000 population. Among the APD population, a 15.2% were receiving some form of therapy for advanced stages of the disease (deep brain stimulation, levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel, or apomorphine subcutaneous infusion). Conclusions: The percentage of patients with APD in the hospitals of the Spanish National Healthcare System was 38.2%. Full article

Device-aided therapies, including levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel infusion, apomorphine subcutaneous infusion, and deep brain stimulation, are available in many countries for the management of the advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Currently, selection of device-aided therapies is mainly focused on patients’ motor profile while non-motor symptoms play a role limited to being regarded as possible exclusion criteria in the decision-making process for the delivery and sustenance of a successful treatment. Differential beneficial effects on specific non-motor symptoms of the currently available device-aided therapies for PD are emerging and these could hold relevant clinical implications. In this viewpoint, we suggest that specific non-motor symptoms could be used as an additional anchor to motor symptoms and not merely as exclusion criteria to deliver bespoke and patient-specific personalised therapy for advanced PD. Full article