Treatment interventions for Parkinson's disease: an evidence based assessment

Abstract

We did a systematic review, with a uniform method of assessment of efficacy and safety, to assess the different interventions available for the management of Parkinson's disease (drugs, surgical interventions, and physical treatments) with respect to the following indications: prevention of disease progression, symptomatic treatment of motor features (parkinsonism), symptomatic control of motor complications, prevention of motor complications, and symptomatic treatment of non-motor features. Our aim was not to define practice guidelines, but rather to improve clinicians' knowledge of the presently available published clinical evidence, based mainly on randomised controlled trials. We hope that our review will help doctors to incorporate this background into their own decision-making strategy to make appropriate choices with respect to the treatment of individual patients with Parkinson's disease.