Abstract : Although intensively studied, Parkinson's disease (PD) continues to challenge neurologists, particularly in its advanced stages. While initial oral treatment with levodopa improves motor symptoms, conventional treatment loses its effectiveness as the disease progresses, other therapies, such as continuous levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) administration, being required. In recent years, perspectives have shifted, neurologists considering PD a complex impairment of several systems causing motor and non-motor symptoms. This study’s aim was to evaluate non-motor symptoms in Romanian patients with advanced PD undergoing continuous LCIG administration. In this cross-sectional observational study, two groups of 20 patients each were compared. The first group comprised PD diagnosed patients at Hoehn-Yahr (HY) stages II to IV receiving intermittent oral levodopa treatment; the second group comprised patients treated with the Duodopa® pump. All participants had been diagnosed with PD according to the United Kingdom Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank (UKPDSBB) Clinical Diagnostic Criteria. Motor and non-motor symptoms were recorded along with various data concerning the patient's age, duration of illness, gender, and comorbidities. The data were processed in SPSS v.20. Constipation, sleeping disorders, and mental disorders were observed more frequently in subjects receiving continuous LCIG administration (statistically significant). Although orthostatic hypotension, restless legs syndrome, and hypersalivation were less evident in patients receiving Duodopa® pump therapy, no statistical significance was observed. Anosmia and urinary incontinence remained unresolved despite antiparkinsonian therapy. Non-motor symptoms are essential components of the clinical picture in PD regardless of the therapeutic approach, with constipation, sleeping disorders, and mental disorders more prevalent in LCIG-treated patients.
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