[Stage-adjusted treatment of idiopathic Parkinson syndrome]

Abstract

The treatment of idiopathic Parkinson's disease has been divided in 3 different phases. In the first phase the patient's disability is still minimal and a treatment with selegiline (possibly combined with an anticholinergic drug) is sufficient. In the second phase the treatment with levodopa (plus an decarboxylase inhibitor) becomes indispensable. In order to minimize the problems of long-term therapy a dopaminergic agonist (mostly bromocriptine) is added. The third phase is characterized by these problems. Some measures are discussed which may help to increase the patients' quality of life.