Parkinson I Flashcards
What is Parkinson’s disease characterised by?
- Idiopathic
- Degenerative
- CNS Disorder
with 4 characteristic features:
1. slowness and poverty of movement
2. muscular rigidity
3. resting tremor
4. postural instability
Risk factors of PD
age, obesity, male.
smoking, caffeine, alcohol (reduces risk of PD) -> but doesn’t mean that you do more of it!
What are the cardinal signs required to diagnose PD?
At least 2 out of 3 of them must be present to accurately diagnose PD.
- Tremor
- Rigidity
- Akinesia/bradykinesia
Features of idiopathic PD - at initial presentation
- Asymmetric
- Positive response to levodopa or apomorphine
- Postural instability (and falls) - absent
- Less rapid progression
- Absence of autonomic dysfunction
What are the implications of PD?
- Unable to perform basic ADLs
» E.g. mobility, feeding self, grooming, personal hygiene
» Dysphagia –> pneumonia
» Falls due to gait instability
What is the pathology, cause of PD
Loss of dopaminergic neurons from the substantial nigra (at least 80% for the symptoms to show)
Age-related loss of nutrons
Environmental toxins / insults (MPTP-MPP+, pesticides, herbicides)
Genetics (predisposition to toxins, insults and genetic abnormalities)
What is the Hoehn and Yahr Staging of PD
- Symptoms only occur on one side of the body
- Bilateral symptoms, no balance impairment
- Impaired postural reflexes, physically independent
- Severe disability, yet still able to walk or stand
- Wheelchair bound or bedridden
What is the purpose of using Hoehn and Yahr staging?
- assess mobility
- if on treatment, should be assessed when person is in the “ON” and “OFF” state.
Cognitive impairments and their respective drug names
Dementia - rivastigmine
Psychosis - clozapine, quetiapine, rivastigmine
REM sleep behaviour disorder - clonazepam, melatonin
GI motility - domperidone
Orthostatic hypertension - domperidone, pyridostigmine
Sialorrhoea - atropine drops, botox
fatigue - methylphenidate, modafinil
Early/young onset PD features
- Slower disease progression
- Features
» slower cognitive decline
» earlier motor complications
» dystonia is common initial presentation - dopamine agonists are used in preference to levodopa.
Summary of the identification, diagnosis and prognosis in PD
Suspect Parkinson’s –> referral to specialist –> consider possibility of atypical parkinsonism –> no confirmatory tests available –> predictors of more benign course (younger onset) OR predictors of more rapid course (older onset)
Goals of PD treatment
- manage symptoms
- maintain function and autonomy
Treatment modalities (pharmacological)
- Increased amount of central dopamine, dopaminergic transmission
1) . Levodopa + DCI
2) . Dopamine agonists
3) . MAO-B inhibitors
4) . COMT inhibitors - Correct imbalance in other pathways
5) . Anticholinergics
6) . NMDA antagonists
Treatment modalities (non-pharmacological)
- PT:
- Stretching, transfers, posture, walking - OT:
- Mobility aids, home and workplace safety - Speech and swallowing
- Surgery
Characteristics of levodopa
- Most effective drug for treatment of symptoms
- esp. bradykinesia and rigidity
- less effective for speech, postural reflex and gait disturbances - Dopamine cannot be used as a treatment - it does not cross the blood brain-barrier.
- Peripheral conversion of levodopa to dopamine is catalysed by DOPA decarboxylase, MAO, COMT.
- causes nausea/vomiting, hypotension