[Motor complications in patients with Parkinson disease treated with levodopa]

Abstract

Motor complications appearing in 180 patients with Parkinson's disease who received levodopa for a long period are reviewed. The most frequently observed motor disorders were wearing off fluctuations and dyskinesias of "dose benefit". Most patients who presented a decrease in the response to levodopa developed signs during the course or findings in complementary tests which were incompatible with the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. In the present study, the duration of the treatment with levodopa and the duration of the disease varied in parallel in such a way that it was not possible to individualize the relative importance of both factors in the development of the observed motor complications.