Compliance with pharmacotherapy and direct healthcare costs in patients with Parkinson's disease: a retrospective claims database analysis

Persistence and adherence to levodopa adjunct medications in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease: a retrospective cohort study using a Japanese claims database

Objective

We investigated treatment persistence and adherence for levodopa adjunct medications and their relationship with demographic factors in Japanese patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods

This longitudinal retrospective study used a Japanese health insurance claims database for levodopa adjunct medications in patients newly prescribed anti-PD drugs other than levodopa between December 2020 and November 2021. Patients with a PD diagnosis were included in this study, and 17 anti-PD drug cohorts were formed. The primary outcomes were treatment persistence and adherence over 1 year. Multivariate analysis was conducted to evaluate demographic factors associated with treatment persistence/adherence.

Results

In total, 7,605 patients were included in this analysis, with a mean age of 77.2 years, and 43.6% were male. The 1-year treatment persistence rate was 44.8%. Median persistent treatment duration over 1 year was 270.0 days. Persistence rates ranged from 28.6 to 59.5% across the drug cohorts, and were highest for zonisamide (59.5%) followed by safinamide (55.8%). The proportion of patients with proportion of days covered ≥80% (good treatment adherence) was 96.9% in the all-drugs cohort and ≥ 90% in each drug-specific cohort. In the multivariate analysis, the factor most strongly associated with non-persistence was the number of concomitant anti-PD drugs (risk ratio [RR] 0.85 per 1 unit increase), with the exception of inpatient prescriptions (RR 0.75).

Conclusion

More than half of the new anti-PD drugs added to levodopa were discontinued within 1 year, and adherence to treatment, as assessed by filling records, was extremely high in patients with PD, including the elderly population.

A Qualitative Study on Perspectives of Parkinson's Disease Medications: Insights from Patient Focus Groups

Purpose

Medication is an important component of the management of Parkinson's disease (PD), yet few studies investigate factors that inform medication decision-making from the perspective of those who use these therapies. This qualitative study aimed to better understand the medication experiences and perspectives of people with PD (PwPD).

Patients and Methods

Thirty-two PwPD recruited from five large movement disorder clinics from five US states participated in 1-hour on-line focus groups in 2022. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results

Four primary themes (subthemes in parentheses) emerged concerning PD medications: (1) medication effectiveness (uncertainty, inconsistent effects, adjusting expectations); (2) medication burden (morning doses, timing challenges, constant reminder); (3) side effects (toleration, treatment, confusion with disease symptoms); and (4) preferences/requests (important attributes, therapy advancement).

Conclusion

This study identified four core dimensions associated with PD medications from the perspective of PwPD. Results indicate the need for enhanced communication between providers and patients regarding PD medication to reduce the uncertainties and burden associated with PD medication regimens and promote better health outcomes for PwPD.

Medication adherence and costs of medical care among patients with Parkinson's disease: an observational study using electronic medical records

BACKGROUND

Adherence to antiparkinsonian drugs (APDs) is critical for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), for which medication is the main therapeutic strategy. Previous studies have focused on specific disorders in a single system when assessing clinical factors affecting adherence to PD treatment, and no international comparative data are available on the medical costs for Chinese patients with PD. The present study aimed to evaluate medication adherence and its associated factors among Chinese patients with PD using a systematic approach and to explore the impact of adequate medication adherence on direct medical costs.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted using the electronic medical records of patients with PD from a medical center in China. Patients with a minimum of two APD prescriptions from January 1, 2016 to August 15, 2018 were included. Medication possession ratio (MPR) and proportion of days covered were used to measure APD adherence. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify factors affecting APD adherence. Gamma regression analysis was used to explore the impact of APD adherence on direct medical costs.

RESULTS

In total, 1,712 patients were included in the study, and the mean MPR was 0.68 (± 0.25). Increased number of APDs and all medications, and higher daily levodopa-equivalent doses resulted in higher MPR (mean difference [MD] = 0.04 [0.03-0.05]; MD = 0.02 [0.01-0.03]; MD = 0.03 [0.01-0.04], respectively); combined digestive system diseases, epilepsy, or older age resulted in lower MPR (MD = -0.06 [-0.09 to -0.03]; MD = -0.07 [-0.14 to -0.01]; MD = -0.02 [-0.03 to -0.01], respectively). Higher APD adherence resulted in higher direct medical costs, including APD and other outpatient costs. For a 0.3 increase in MPR, the two costs increased by $34.42 ($25.43-$43.41) and $14.63 ($4.86-$24.39) per year, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

APD adherence rate among Chinese patients with PD was moderate and related primarily to age, comorbidities, and healthcare costs. The factors should be considered when prescribing APDs.

Perceived control as a predictor of medication adherence in people with Parkinson's: a large-scale cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

Medication adherence is a multi-faceted construct associated with several positive consequences in people with chronic conditions. However, non-adherence currently represents a major issue in Parkinson's, potentially due to low perceptions of control. This study investigated the predictive ability of several aspects of perceived control on adherence in people with Parkinson's, while accounting for previously established predictors such as depression and medication variables.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An online cross-sectional survey was carried out with 1210 adults with Parkinson's from 15 English-speaking countries. Demographic and clinical questions, as well as measures of depression, aspects of perceived control, and medication adherence were included. Pearson's correlations and a 4-block hierarchical regression analysis were performed to assess the relationship between the variables.

RESULTS

Perceived control explained a slightly higher amount of variance in medication adherence compared to medication variables when entered in the last block. Unexpectedly, depression was not significantly related with adherence. Internal locus of control was an independent negative predictor of adherence, while external dimensions of locus of control emerged as independent positive predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

In people with Parkinson's, perceptions of control may have a larger impact on adherence compared to medication variables. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.Implications for RehabilitationPerceived control and depression are considered important constructs for medication adherence in Parkinson's, which in turn is often problematic for affected individuals.The specific predictive value of different aspects of perceived control on medication adherence in Parkinson's is currently unclear.This large-scale study found that perceptions of control may have a larger impact on adherence compared to medication variables, while depression was unrelated to it.A need for psychologically-informed interventions, person-centred approaches to medication management, and Parkinson-specific measures of adherence are highlighted.

Dopamine agonist monotherapy utilization in patients with Parkinson's disease

Objectives

To characterize patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who initiated dopamine agonist (DA) monotherapy, describe medication utilization and provider types, and estimate medication adherence and discontinuation rates.

Methods

Retrospective study identified patients with PD in the Optum Research Database and included those with ≥1 claim for DA or levodopa between 09/01/2012 and 12/31/2018, ≥2 PD diagnoses, commercial or Medicare Advantage Part D (MAPD) insurance, ≥40 years old, and continuous medical and pharmacy coverage ≥12 months before and after index date. A subset of patients receiving DA monotherapy was selected for this analysis. Variables were analyzed descriptively. Adherence was measured with medication possession ratio (MPR) and proportion of days covered (PDC); defined as ≥0.80.

Results

Patients (N = 642) had mean (SD) age of 70.2 (9.9) years, 70.6 % had MAPD coverage, and 61.7 % were male. Neurologists prescribed 64.6 % of DA monotherapy, and 56.9 % of patients had ≥2 PD diagnoses before or on the index date. Index therapy was discontinued by 44.1 % of patients, and 55.9 % persisted for 12 months without change. Mean (SD) time to discontinuation was 102 (79) days. Mean (SD) MPR for patients (n = 562) with ≥2 fills was 0.84 (0.2); 70.3 % were MPR adherent. Mean (SD) PDC for all 642 patients was 0.66 (0.3); 50.5 % were PDC adherent.

Conclusion

Adherence and continuation of therapy were suboptimal, which could translate into poor patient outcomes. Future studies could provide insights on the impact of low adherence and persistence with DA monotherapy.

Effect of Pillbox Organizers with Alarms on Adherence to Pharmacotherapy in Parkinson Disease Patients Taking Three and More Daily Doses of Dopaminergic Medications

Improvement of adherence to pharmacotherapy in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a challenge in routine clinical practice. Our study was aimed at the effect of pillbox organizers with alarms improving adherence to pharmacotherapy and its impact on clinical outcomes. Forty nonadherent patients with PD being treated with ≥ 3 daily doses of levodopa and/or dopamine agonists were pseudorandomized and consecutively ranked to groups A (early-start intervention) and B (delayed-start intervention). We used the following validated diagnostic instruments: MMAS-8 (adherence), PDQ-8 (quality of life, QoL), GDS (depression), NMSS (non-motor symptoms), MDS-UPDRS III (motor involvement), MDS-UPDRS IV, and WOQ-9 (motor and non-motor fluctuations and dyskinesias). We proved a significantly improved rate of adherence with the use of pillbox organizers with alarms. Moreover, after only four weeks of using the pillbox organizer, we detected an improvement in QoL scores, motor involvement, motor-, and non-motor fluctuations. Our study showed that pillbox organizers with alarms are efficient in improving adherence to pharmacotherapy in PD. It also could contribute to better motor states, less severe fluctuations, and improved QoL.

Adherence to treatment in Parkinson's disease: A multicenter exploratory study with patients from six Latin American countries

BACKGROUND

Adherence to treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD) is compromised due to the need for multiple therapies, comorbidities related to aging, and the complexity of therapeutic schemes. In the present study, we aimed to explore adherence to treatment in groups of PD patients from six Latin-American (LA) countries and identify its associated demographic and clinical parameters.

METHODS

A multicenter, cross-sectional, exploratory study was conducted from September 2016 to March 2017. Treatment adherence was assessed using the simplified medication adherence questionnaire (SMAQ), applied to patients and caregivers. Sociodemographic and clinical variables (MDS-UPDRS Part III-IV, MMSE, Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)) were recorded.

RESULTS

Eight hundred patients from six LA countries were evaluated. Nonadherence was reported in 58.25% of the population, according to patients. The most frequent issues were forgetfulness and correct timing of doses. A high level of agreement in adherence prevalence and most SMAQ items were observed between patients and their caregivers. The nonadherent population had a significantly higher proportion of unemployment, free access to medication, troublesome dyskinesias and off-periods, lesser years of education, and worse motor, cognitive, and mood scores. In multiple logistic and linear regression analyses, MDS-UPDRS Part III, BDI-II, gender, free access to medication, treatment with dopamine agonists alone, years of education, excessive concerns about adverse effects, and beliefs about being well-treated remained significant contributors to adherence measures.

CONCLUSION

Educational strategies, greater involvement of PD patients in decision-making, and consideration of their beliefs and values might be of great need to improve medication adherence in this PD population.

An assessment of Parkinson's disease medication treatment patterns in the Medicaid population

INTRODUCTION

Most Parkinson's disease (PD) medication adherence studies have focused on patients with commercial or Medicare health insurance coverage. However, less is known regarding medication treatment patterns within the Medicaid population.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study utilized 2011-2019 administrative healthcare claims from 7 state Medicaid programs. We compared newly diagnosed patients with PD started on either levodopa or a dopamine agonist (DA). Baseline comorbidities were compared. Outcomes were assessed during a 12-month post-index observation period, and included total medication days, proportion of days covered (PDC), adherence status, persistence to initiating PD medication, and time to non-persistence of initiating PD medication.

RESULTS

Our study sample of 805 Medicaid patients had an average age of 54.1 years, with 52.0% being female. Levodopa was the predominant PD medication at initiation (75.4%). Roughly half of patients had a baseline depressive disorder and nearly 40% had an anxiety disorder. Levodopa patients had a significantly higher PDC compared to DA patients (0.621 vs. 0.546, p = 0.007). An adjusted logistic regression model showed no significant difference in the number of adherent patients between the two groups (p = 0.058). An adjusted Cox proportional hazards model controlling for demographic and baseline variables showed a 26% lower risk of non-persistence for levodopa patients versus DA patients (HR 0.740, CI 0.597-0.917, p = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS

Adherence and persistence rates were suboptimal following initiation of either levodopa or DA medication for patients with PD in Medicaid programs, though rates were better for those initiated on levodopa.

Low Sustainment of High-Dose Oral Medication Regimens for Advanced Parkinson's Disease in Medicare Beneficiaries

BACKGROUND

Increasing doses of oral antiparkinson medications are indicated in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), but little is known about sustainment of high-dose regimens.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate sustainment of high-dose oral medication regimens in Medicare beneficiaries with incident advanced PD.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study utilized 100%fee-for-service Medicare claims from 2011-2013. We identified advanced PD using a pharmacy claims-based proxy and selected patients who initiated a new high-dose oral medication regimen (daily levodopa equivalent dose [LED] >1000 mg/day for ≥30 days) in 2012. In the following 12 months, we examined: 1) annual proportion of days covered (PDC)≥0.80 and 2) presence of a ≥ 90 day continuous gap at varying dosage thresholds: the initial >1000 mg/day, >800 mg/day, >500 mg/day, or >0 mg/day.

RESULTS

We identified 9,405 patients with advanced PD (mean age 77.4 [SD 6.8] years; 53%men). Only 5%maintained a regimen of >1000 mg/day at PDC ≥0.80; 75% had a ≥ 90-day gap in that dosage level. At a dosage threshold of >800 mg/day, 20% had a PDC ≥0.80 and 53% had a ≥ 90-day gap; at >500 mg/day, 56% had a PDC ≥0.80 and 19%had a ≥ 90-day gap; and at >0 mg/day (any dose), 76% had a PDC ≥0.80 and only 10%had a≥90-day gap.

CONCLUSION

Few patients with advanced PD sustained a high-dose oral medication regimen in the year following initiation, but most sustained a substantially lower-dose regimen. Strategies to improve advanced PD treatment are needed.

Burden of Parkinson's Disease by Severity: Health Care Costs in the U.S. Medicare Population

BACKGROUND

Current understanding of the health care costs of Parkinson's disease (PD) and the incremental burden of advanced disease is incomplete.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to assess the direct economic burden associated with advanced versus mild/moderate PD in a prevalent national sample of elderly U.S. Medicare beneficiaries with a PD diagnosis.

METHODS

Analyzing 100% fee-for-service Medicare claims from 2013, we defined advanced PD with a medication-based algorithm and calculated all-cause and PD-related costs for the overall sample and by disease severity. We measured primary PD-related costs (based on claims with a primary diagnosis of PD) and any PD-related costs (based on claims with PD in any diagnostic field). Generalized linear models were used to estimate risk-adjusted mean cost differences between the advanced and mild/moderate PD groups for the calendar year.

RESULTS

The final sample (N = 144,703) had mean observed all-cause, primary PD-related, and any PD-related costs of $23,041 (SD, $34,045), $3429 (SD, $7431), and $9924 (SD, $22,140), respectively. Twenty percent of patients were classified as advanced PD. Costs varied substantially; any PD-related mean costs were $483 for the lowest patient decile (which included 1% of the advanced group) and $48,145 for the highest decile (which included 15% of the advanced group). Incremental risk-adjusted costs of advanced PD were $5818 (95% confidence interval [CI]: $5411-$6225) for all-cause costs, $3644 (95% CI: $3484-$3806) for primary PD-related costs, and $6088 (95% CI: $5779-$6398) for any PD-related costs.

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly Medicare beneficiaries with PD had substantial variation in PD-related costs. Advanced PD was associated with a larger economic burden than mild/moderate PD. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Prescription pattern of anti-Parkinson's disease drugs in Japan based on a nationwide medical claims database

Introduction

Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment should follow guidelines and be tailored to each patient. Large database analyses can provide insights into prescribing patterns.

Methods

Retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients (≥30 years) with PD diagnosis (ICD-10; schizophrenia/cerebrovascular disease excluded) using health insurance claims data (April 2008-December 2016) from the Japan Medical Data Vision database. Prescription patterns of anti-PD drugs were analysed by patient age and sex, calendar year, and overall.

Results

The analysis comprised 155,493 PD patient-years (56.1% women, mean 73.4 years). Patient number increased each year, mainly because of database expansion. L-dopa as monotherapy was the most common prescription (22.7% of patient-years); non-ergot dopamine agonists (DAs) were also common (7.6% as monotherapy, 6.8% with L-dopa). Monotherapy was prescribed for ~50% of patient-years, two drugs for 14.1%, and at least three drugs for 18.4%. Consistent with Japanese guidelines, L-dopa was mostly prescribed to older patients (≥60 years), whereas non-ergot DAs were mostly prescribed to middle-aged patients (peak at 50-69 years). Between 2008 and 2011, L-dopa prescription decreased while that of non-ergot DAs increased; this pattern reversed between 2012 and 2016.

Conclusion

These results indicate that Japanese clinicians are adhering to Japanese guidelines and tailoring anti-PD treatment to individual patients.

Adherence to treatment guideline recommendations for Parkinson's disease in Japan: A longitudinal analysis of a nationwide medical claims database between 2008 and 2016

Background

Adherence to the 2011 Japanese guidelines for treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in real-life practice is unknown.

Methods

In this retrospective longitudinal observational study, we examined patterns and trends in anti-PD drug prescriptions in 20,936 patients (≥30 years of age with newly diagnosed PD [International Classification of Diseases–Tenth code G20 or PD Hoehn and Yahr scale 1–5] and one or more prescriptions) using nationwide registry data between 2008 and 2016. Data are presented as descriptive statistics.

Results

Half (49.6%) of the patients received levodopa (L-dopa) monotherapy, followed by non-ergot dopamine agonists (DA) prescribed as monotherapy (8.3%) or with L-dopa (8.1%). Consistent with the guidelines, 75% of patients were prescribed within 13 days of initial diagnosis; L-dopa monotherapy was the most prescribed drug in patients ≥70 years of age, whereas non-ergot DA monotherapy was more likely to be prescribed than L-dopa in patients between 30 and 50 years of age. Inconsistent with the guidelines, L-dopa monotherapy was the most prescribed drug in patients between 51 and 69 years of age. Over the course of 4 years of treatment, the prescription rate of L-dopa monotherapy and non-ergot DA monotherapy decreased by 63.7% and 44.1%, respectively, whereas that of L-dopa and non-ergot DA combination therapy increased by 103.7%. Combination therapy with L-dopa, non-ergot DA, and monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors was gradually increased at a later stage.

Conclusion

These results highlight that the state of PD treatment in Japan adheres to most of the recommendations in the 2011 national guidelines, but also precedes the 2018 guidelines.

Adherence to Pharmacotherapy in Patients With Parkinson's Disease Taking Three and More Daily Doses of Medication

Background: Once-daily treatment formulation is associated with better adherence in comparison to more complex medication regimens. The study aimed to detect the extent of adherence to pharmacotherapy in Parkinson disease (PD) patients who take a minimum of three daily doses of drugs, and to identify factors associated with lower levels of adherence.

Methods: The cohort was selected from non-demented PD patients. The 8-Item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8), 8-Item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Non-Motor Symptom Assessment Scale (NMSS), 9-Item Wearing-off Questionnaire (WOQ-9), MDS-UPDRS III (motor examination), and IV (motor complications) scales were used in this study.

Results: From a total of 124 subjects, 33.9% reported a high level of adherence, 29.8% reported a medium level of adherence, and 36.3% reported a low level of adherence to their pharmacotherapy. The level of non-adherence correlated with gender, longer disease duration, higher scores of PDQ-8, NMSS, WOQ-9, and MDS-UPDRS IV. Detailed analysis of NMSS demonstrated a correlation between the level of adherence and domains sleep/fatigue, mood/cognition, perceptual problems/hallucinations, attention/memory, and urinary symptoms. Independent risk factors for non-adherence were excessive daytime sleepiness, anhedonia, and forgetfulness.

Conclusion: Non-adherence to more complicated medication regimens is frequent in PD patients and is associated with gender, longer PD duration, poorer quality of life, frequency and severity of non-motor symptoms, and more severe motor and non-motor fluctuations. Non-adherence was predicted by non-motor symptoms including fatigue, mood disturbances, and subjective cognitive complaints.

The effect of a structured medication review on quality of life in Parkinson's disease: The study protocol

BACKGROUND

Treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) is symptomatic and frequently consists of complicated medication regimes. This negatively influences therapy adherence, resulting in lower benefit of treatment, drug related problems and decreased quality of life (QoL). A potential effective intervention strategy is a structured medication review, executed by community pharmacists. However, little is known about the effects on clinical endpoints like QoL, as well as on feasibility and cost-effectiveness in PD patients.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effect of a structured medication review on QoL in PD patients. Secondary objectives are measurements of physical disability, activities in daily life, non-motor symptoms, health state, personal carers' QoL and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, a better insight in the process of performing medication reviews will be obtained from the perspective of community pharmacists.

METHODS

In this multicenter randomized controlled trial we aim to enroll 200 PD patients from the outpatient clinic of three Dutch hospitals. Community pharmacists will perform a structured medication review in half of the assigned patients; the other half will receive usual care. Data obtained by use of six validated questionnaires will be collected at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of follow-up. Semi-structured interviews with community pharmacists will be conducted till data saturation has been reached.

DISCUSSION

This trial targets a high-risk patient group for whom optimizing therapy by a structured medication review might be of added value. If effectiveness is proven, this could further promote the implementation of pharmaceutical care in a primary care setting.

Mental state, psychoemotional status, quality of life and treatment compliance in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus

AIM

To identify correlations between quality of life (QoL), emotional and mental state in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to evaluate its contribution in prediction of compliance.

MATERIALS & METHODS

The T2DM patients aged 18-75 years with at least 12 weeks of stable hypoglycemic therapy were included to this cross-sectional study. We used Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) for mental state assessment, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for anxiety and depression level and EQ-5D for QoL. Compliance level was self-reported by patients.

RESULTS

The QoL positively correlates with MMSE score (p < 0.0001) and negatively with HADS anxiety (p < 0.0001) and depression (p < 0.0001) levels. The MMSE score is higher (p < 0.0001), and both HADS levels are lower (p < 0.01) in patients with higher compliance level.

CONCLUSION

Cognitive function and psychoemotional state in T2DM patients are important for treatment compliance and QoL and are to be corrected whenever possible.

Levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone versus levodopa/dopa-decarboxyiase inhibitor for the treatment of Parkinson's disease: systematic review, meta-analysis, and economic evaluation

Aims

To review the evidence for efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone (LCE) compared with levodopa/dopa-decarboxyiase inhibitor (DDCI) for Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Methods

PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Chinese databases WangFang Data, Chinese Sci-tech Journals Database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, as well as ClinicalTrials.gov, were searched for randomized controlled trials with “levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone” as keywords. The search period was from inception to August 2017. We conducted meta-analyses to synthesize the evidence quantitatively.

Results

A total of 5,693 records were obtained. We included seven randomized controlled trials and one cost-effectiveness study after the screening process. Compared with levodopa–DDCI, LCE improved patient Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) II score (mean difference [MD] −1.17, 95% CI −1.64 to −0.71), UPDRS III score (MD −1.55, 95% CI −2.29 to −0.81), and Schwab and England daily activity rating (MD 2.05, 95% CI 0.85–3.26). There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of serious adverse events (AEs) or discontinuation due to AEs in patients with LCE, and the risk of total AEs was higher in the LCE group (risk ratio [RR] 1.33, 95% CI 1.05–1.70). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of LCE was £3,105 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained in the UK.

Conclusion

LCE can improve PD patients’ motor symptoms and daily living functioning when compared with levodopa/DDCI.

Parkinson's disease between internal medicine and neurology

General medical problems and complications have a major impact on the quality of life in all stages of Parkinson's disease. To introduce an effective treatment, a comprehensive analysis of the various clinical symptoms must be undertaken. One must distinguish between (1) diseases which arise independently of Parkinson's disease, and (2) diseases which are a direct or indirect consequence of Parkinson's disease. Medical comorbidity may induce additional limitations to physical strength and coping strategies, and may thus restrict the efficacy of the physical therapy which is essential for treating hypokinetic-rigid symptoms. In selecting the appropriate medication for the treatment of any additional medical symptoms, which may arise, its limitations, contraindications and interactions with dopaminergic substances have to be taken into consideration. General medical symptoms and organ manifestations may also arise as a direct consequence of the autonomic dysfunction associated with Parkinson's disease. As the disease progresses, additional non-parkinsonian symptoms can be of concern. Furthermore, the side effects of Parkinson medications may necessitate the involvement of other medical specialists. In this review, we will discuss the various general medical aspects of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson Symptoms and Health Related Quality of Life as Predictors of Costs: A Longitudinal Observational Study with Linear Mixed Model Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the magnitude in which Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms and health- related quality of life (HRQoL) determined PD costs over a 4-year period.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data collected during 3-month, each year, for 4 years, from the ELEP study, included sociodemographic, clinical and use of resources information. Costs were calculated yearly, as mean 3-month costs/patient and updated to Spanish €, 2012. Mixed linear models were performed to analyze total, direct and indirect costs based on symptoms and HRQoL.

RESULTS

One-hundred and seventy four patients were included. Mean (SD) age: 63 (11) years, mean (SD) disease duration: 8 (6) years. Ninety-three percent were HY I, II or III (mild or moderate disease). Forty-nine percent remained in the same stage during the study period. Clinical evaluation and HRQoL scales showed relatively slight changes over time, demonstrating a stable group overall. Mean (SD) PD total costs augmented 92.5%, from € 2,082.17 (€ 2,889.86) in year 1 to € 4,008.6 (€ 7,757.35) in year 4. Total, direct and indirect cost incremented 45.96%, 35.63%, and 69.69% for mild disease, respectively, whereas increased 166.52% for total, 55.68% for direct and 347.85% for indirect cost in patients with moderate PD. For severe patients, cost remained almost the same throughout the study. For each additional point in the SCOPA-Motor scale total costs increased € 75.72 (p = 0.0174); for each additional point on SCOPA-Motor and the SCOPA-COG, direct costs incremented € 49.21 (p = 0.0094) and € 44.81 (p = 0.0404), respectively; and for each extra point on the pain scale, indirect costs increased € 16.31 (p = 0.0228).

CONCLUSIONS

PD is an expensive disease in Spain. Disease progression and severity as well as motor and cognitive dysfunctions are major drivers of costs increments. Therapeutic measures aimed at controlling progression and symptoms could help contain disease expenses.

Medication adherence in patients with Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, after Alzheimer's disease, affecting the elderly worldwide. Current therapy for PD is largely based on prescription of drugs that act as either dopamine precursors, dopamine agonists or agents that inhibit key enzymes in the dopamine catabolic pathways. Most of these drugs are administered in tablet or capsule form and can involve multiple daily doses in complex dosing regimens, which contributes to sub-optimal compliance amongst patients. There is evidence to suggest that non-compliance with medications results in perceived poor response to therapy and may ultimately increase direct and indirect health care costs. Medication compliance in PD assumes a particularly important role, given that PD is a progressive, debilitating condition, and once medication is instituted for ameliorating the symptoms of PD, it is lifelong. We included nine research studies in our review of the medical literature, which report the prevalence of significant medication non-compliance in PD, using standard definitions, varies between 10 and 67%. This variation partly reflects differences in defining what clinically significant medication adherence is, the methods used to estimate the scale of the problem and the underlying population heterogeneity. Nevertheless, medication adherence is related to health costs and to the quality of life of patients affected by PD and, indirectly, their carers. Educating patients and their carers is one method of improving patient adherence to therapy. Simplifying drug regimens can also aid in this effort.

Move for Change Part III: a European survey evaluating the impact of the EPDA Charter for People with Parkinson's Disease

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Move for Change is an online pan-European patient survey based on the European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) Charter for People with Parkinson's Disease (PD), which states that all PD patients have the right to: be referred to a doctor with a specialist interest in PD; receive an accurate diagnosis; have access to support services; receive continuous care; and take part in managing their illness.

METHODS

This part of the survey focuses on the final two elements of the Charter. It was administered online through the EPDA website and through affiliated patient associations' websites. A total of 1591 questionnaires were received and 1546 were analysed (97.2%).

RESULTS

Approximately half of the patients (53.0%) consulted a neurologist regularly (every 4-6 months). Consultations were usually arranged as part of a follow-up process (65.5%) and lasted for 15-30 min (63.2%), with 16.1% lasting <10 min and 17.9% lasting >30 min. Patients were largely satisfied with the attention they received (63.2%) but just 11.6% of patients were involved in treatment decisions, and 39.1% prepared a list of symptom changes for discussion. Two hundred caregivers also took part in the survey, and 71.4% felt included in the treatment plan by the doctor.

CONCLUSIONS

These results highlight that PD disease-management is driven by the clinician; he/she arranges consultations and makes the majority of management decisions, rather than patients being included in the process. This survey can be used to raise awareness for PD patients, encouraging greater involvement in the management of PD.