Unlocking Advanced Parkinson’s: A Fresh Approach to Management

Published on October 27, 2022

Parkinson’s disease, a formidable opponent in the realm of healthcare, demands a strategic battle plan to combat its late-stage effects. As the global population ages and Parkinson’s prevalence skyrockets, it becomes crucial to understand the early warning signs and available treatments for advanced PD. However, defining and treating advanced PD remains a challenge due to the lack of standardized guidelines and worldwide consensus. Fortunately, a panel of movement disorder specialists has proposed an innovative solution to this quandary. By enhancing PD coding to encompass its diverse manifestations, with a particular focus on non-motor features, they offer a more accurate representation of the disease. Their approach also emphasizes the importance of timely diagnosis through adjusted evaluation tools for community neurologists and modified eligibility criteria for advanced therapy. Furthermore, they advocate for comprehensive assessments that take into account all aspects of advanced PD patients’ lives, thus promoting personalized and holistic management. Ultimately, earlier and more targeted interventions hold the promise of significantly enhancing patients’ overall quality of life.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is taking a staggering toll on healthcare systems worldwide, with the bulk of the expenditures invested in the late stages of the disease. Considering the rising life expectancy and the increasing prevalence of PD across the globe, a clear understanding of the early signs and treatment options available for advanced PD (APD), will facilitate tailoring management programs and support services. This task is complicated by the lack of both global consensus in defining APD and standardized care guidelines. This perspective prepared by a panel of movement disorder specialists, proposes to extend and optimize currently accepted PD coding to better reflect the diverse disease manifestations, with emphasis on non-motor features. The panel seeks to promote timely diagnosis by adjustment of evaluation tools for use by community neurologists and suggests modification of eligibility criteria for advanced therapy. Moreover, it advocates multidisciplinary assessments of APD patients to drive personalized, patient-centered and holistic management. Overall, earlier and more targeted intervention is expected to markedly improve patient quality of life.

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