Tommaso Schirinzi1, Paola Imbriani2, Alessio D'Elia2, Giulia Di Lazzaro2, Nicola Biagio Mercuri3, Antonio Pisani3. 1. Neurology, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: t.schirinzi@yahoo.com. 2. Neurology, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. 3. Neurology, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of rotigotine in controlling the drooling of Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assessed 7 PD patients (Hoehn and Yahr scale >2.5) with three different clinical scores (Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale - DSFS, Drooling Rating Scale - DRS and Sialorrhea Clinical Scale for PD - SCS) before and after 4 weeks of therapy. Statistical differences were analyzed with Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: We observed that rotigotine significantly improves drooling as measured by the lowering of the three scores (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among non-motor symptoms of PD, drooling is one of the most embarrassing and disabling for patients. Current treatments are unsatisfactory and novel approaches are thus desirable. In this open-label pilot study we demonstrated on a small sample of patients that up to 4mg/24h of rotigotine, a non-ergolinic dopamine agonist with continuous transdermal delivery, may be helpful in the management of drooling in advanced PD.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of rotigotine in controlling the drooling of Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assessed 7 PDpatients (Hoehn and Yahr scale >2.5) with three different clinical scores (Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale - DSFS, Drooling Rating Scale - DRS and Sialorrhea Clinical Scale for PD - SCS) before and after 4 weeks of therapy. Statistical differences were analyzed with Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: We observed that rotigotine significantly improves drooling as measured by the lowering of the three scores (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among non-motor symptoms of PD, drooling is one of the most embarrassing and disabling for patients. Current treatments are unsatisfactory and novel approaches are thus desirable. In this open-label pilot study we demonstrated on a small sample of patients that up to 4mg/24h of rotigotine, a non-ergolinic dopamine agonist with continuous transdermal delivery, may be helpful in the management of drooling in advanced PD.