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WIRE: 06/11/2001 5:36 pm ET Guidelines Stress Different Drugs for Parkinson's NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most patients with Parkinson's disease should first be treated with a class of drugs known as dopamine agonists, according to new guidelines published on Monday. Roughly one million people in the US have Parkinson's, an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremors, loss of balance, slow movements and difficulty thinking. The disease is caused by a steady loss of the brain chemical dopamine and occurs when the dopamine-producing cells in the brain that control movement begin to die. Traditionally, patients have been treated with levodopa (L-dopa), a drug that boosts levels of dopamine in the brain. But over the long term, this drug can cause involuntary movements of the mouth, face and limbs, usually on one side of the body. Dopamine agonists appear to control the symptoms of Parkinson's disease without causing these long-term side effects, particularly when given to patients in the early stages of the disease, Dr. William C. Koller, director of the division of movement disorders at the University of Miami in Florida, told reporters. "The key issue in the treatment of Parkinson's disease is to maintain quality of life," he said. "[With dopamine agonists] you can control the symptoms now and 10 years from now and patients are just as functional, whereas with levodopa, patients experience side effects [that may lead to] embarrassment and patients become socially reclusive." Koller stressed that Parkinson's is a complex disease and doctors treating patients with the disorder should take into account their individual needs. Very elderly patients and those who have difficulty thinking might benefit from levodopa as a first-line therapy, he said, as the drug is known to relieve symptoms rapidly. The guidelines are published in a supplement to the June issue of Neurology. SOURCE: Neurology 2001;56:suppl 5. http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20010611_307.html ********** New treatment guidelines for Parkinson's disease http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/conditions/06/11/parkinsons.guidelines/index.html ********** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn