Motor and non-motor outcomes of continuous apomorphine infusion in 125 Parkinson's disease patients

Robbert W K Borgemeester, Martje Drent, Teus van Laar*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

64 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Introduction: Continuous apomorphine infusion (CAI) is an effective treatment in fluctuating Parkinson's disease (PD). However, long-term efficacy and safety data of CAI are scarce.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed long-term outcomes of CAI on motor and non-motor symptoms in a Dutch cohort of 125 PD patients.

Results: Our cohort (age: 65.8 +/- 9.8 years, disease duration: 11.9 +/- 5.7 years) had a mean daily dose of apomorphine of 66 +/- 30 mg, thereby reducing the levodopa-equivalent daily dose (LEDD) by 20%. The mean duration of treatment with apomorphine was 32.3 +/- 31.9 months, ranging up to 139 months. Three-quarters of patients discontinued within the first four years. The main reason for discontinuation was a decreasing therapeutic effect. Patients who stopped apomorphine within four years had a lower LEDD reduction at hospital discharge and at last follow-up compared to patients who continued for a longer period. CAI showed good effects on motor fluctuations and dyskinesia, with better outcomes in patients with more pronounced LEDD reduction. CAI could be safely applied in patients with pre-existing visual hallucinations (30%).

Conclusion: CAI showed beneficial effects on motor and several non-motor symptoms, whereas the magnitude of LEDD reduction seems to be a positive predictive factor on the duration of CAI. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)17-22
Number of pages6
JournalParkinsonism & Related Disorders
Volume23
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb-2016

Keywords

  • Apomorphine
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Motor fluctuations
  • Dyskinesia
  • Visual hallucinations
  • DEEP BRAIN-STIMULATION
  • CONTINUOUS SUBCUTANEOUS INFUSION
  • TERM-FOLLOW-UP
  • MULTICENTER
  • EFFICACY
  • THERAPY

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