Does Delaying Levodopa Prevent Motor Complications in Parkinson's Disease? A Meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There has been a long debate whether delaying treatment with levodopa prevents motor complications in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objectives

We performed a meta-analysis on randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that compared early- versus delayed-start treatment with levodopa in PD.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases from inception to July 1, 2023. Only RCTs that compared early and delayed levodopa treatment in PD were included. Non-randomized comparisons from follow-up studies were included as well. Our primary outcomes were occurrence of overall motor complications, motor fluctuations, and dyskinesias.

Results

Seven studies with a total of 1149 patients (636 in the early-start group and 513 in the de

SUBMITTER: Ramanzini LG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11489609 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature