[Treatment of Parkinson's disease--from theory to practice]

The symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease is based on assumption that its symptoms are a consequence of damage to the dopaminergic system at the level of substantia nigra. However, not all symptoms can be explained by this damage, moreover, substitution therapy /with preparations containing dopamine precursor--levodopa and agonists of the dopaminergic receptor /not only fails to remove all disease symptoms but can even produce adverse effects. Theoretical bases of treatment are discussed, including the non-motor signs /dementia, depression, autonomic system disturbances/ with the analysis of how these theoretical assumptions come true in practise, including the author's practice. a schema is proposed of diagnosis establishing and decision taking of treatment with stress laid on the most frequent diagnostic and therapeutic errors. Expectations and hopes are discussed also concerning the search for the cause and better therapeutic methods in the future.