Pharmacotherapy Newsletter

Volume 2, Issue 21, 05/25/2010

Question

If patients with Parkinson's disease are deficient in dopamine, why then is peripheral dopamine administration not effective at treating the bradykinesia, rigidity, and resting tremor?

Answer

According to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, there are approximately one million individuals in the United States alone who live with Parkinson's disease with about 50,000 individuals being diagnosed each year with no preference in gender.(1,2)  While Parkinson's disease is generally considered a disease that increases with age or primarily affects the elderly, approximately 4% of patients under the age of 50 will be diagnosed with the disease.(1)   

As it relates to the basic pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease, patients are known to have...

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