Initial medication in patients of newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease in Taiwan

Several treatment guidelines for Parkinson's disease (PD) had been proposed in recent decades. The aim of current study was to investigate the initial medication utilized in newly diagnosed PD subjects in Taiwan during an eleven-year period.

A total of 7,550 patients with newly diagnosed Parkinsonism were retrospectively enrolled from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan from 2000 to 2010. After excluding patients at risk of secondary or atypical Parkinsonism, those never receiving medication or having incomplete data, 1,645 subjects were included. The participants were then divided into four treating regimen groups, namely levodopa (LD) only group, dopamine agonist (DA) only group, LD+DA group, and No-LD, No-DA group. The demographic data and medication retention rate were compared across the four treatment groups.

LD only and No-LD, No-DA regimens were the main initial choice of PD treatment in Taiwan. LD containing drugs were more often prescribed to the elderly population than the other two treatment regimens, while No-LD, No-DA medication was the major initial choice for younger patients. DA only regimen occupied only 3-4% of the initial PD prescriptions and was given predominantly by neurologists. Over the eleven-year period, there is a trend for the middle-aged population to receive medication containing LD as initial treatment. The one year retention rate of anti-Parkinsonism medication was around 30-50% in our population. Age, polypharmacy, change of one-year daily levodopa equivalent dosage and newly onset of dementia, stroke and psychiatric diseases all affect drug compliance in PD patients.

This is the first long-term study to explore initial pharmacotherapies in an Asian PD population. We hope to provide evidence for adjusting government policies and public education of physicians and PD patients in the future.