Levodopa - epgonline.org

More documents

Recommendations

Info

ENT416_NURSES LEAVEPIECE.qxd 2/10/06 14:08 Page 3 Parkinson’s disease: a common neurological disorder • Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurological disease, affecting more than four million people worldwide. The incidence rates of PD are 8–18 per 100,000 person–years, and the prevalence has been estimated at 1% in people over 60 years of age 1 • The symptoms of PD are different for each individual, vary in severity and may change over time. The most common symptoms are motor and include muscle rigidity, resting tremor and slowness of movement (bradykinesia). Other motor features include loss of balance, a shuffling gait and lack of facial expression • Non-motor symptoms, which may precede motor symptoms in the development of PD, include depression, pain, fatigue, facial flushing, sweating, disordered sleep patterns and abnormal skin sensations such as tingling • Due to the wide range of symptoms, the treatment of PD is best delivered by a multidisciplinary team, including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and pharmacists • Recent advances in medications mean that we now have better control over the condition than ever before. Optimizing pharmacological therapy will improve functionality and quality of life for patients with PD Stages of Parkinson’s disease EARLY-STAGE: • Usually 3–5 years from diagnosis • Moderate motor symptoms • Excellent response to medication • Near-normal functioning MID-STAGE: • Usually 5–10 years from diagnosis • Motor complications (50–70% of patients) vary in severity • Difficulty initiating movement and loss of balance • Medication is still efficacious • Help is needed with normal daily activities LATE-STAGE: • Usually over 10 years from diagnosis • Response to medication is erratic, resulting in severe fluctuations • Difficult to control symptoms with medication and side-effects are often more challenging than basic symptoms • Considerable and frequent need for assistance in daily activities [1] de Lau and Breteler. Lancet 2006; 5: 525–35
ENT416_NURSES LEAVEPIECE.qxd 2/10/06 14:08 Page 4 Parkinson’s disease: the challenge of treatment and the nurse’s role • PD is a complex condition that requires careful monitoring and care from a number of different healthcare stecialists which comprise the multidisciplinary team • As with all neurological conditions, medication for patients with PD must be carefully managed to ensure maximum quality of life • The nurse, who sees patients in hospital, at clinics and in their own homes, is uniquely placed to monitor the effectiveness of changes in medication and treatment, and to provide information and education Important aspects of the nurse’s role within the Parkinson’s healthcare team include… • Awareness and treatment of the full range of symptoms seen in PD • Helping to maintain contact between the patient and the rest of the healthcare team • Offering support and reassurance to patients and caregivers • Setting reasonable expectations for therapy including the development of motor complications and side-effects • Initiating and managing change, and evaluating care • PD nurses can provide specialist advice to GPs and train other nurses
Page 1: ENT416_NURSES LEAVEPIECE.qxd 2/10/0
Page 5 and 6: ENT416_NURSES LEAVEPIECE.qxd 2/10/0
Page 15: ENT416_NURSES LEAVEPIECE.qxd 2/10/0

Levodopa - epgonline.org

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?