Improvement by Medication Less than Expected in Parkinson’s Disease: Blinded Evaluation of Levodopa Response

Table 3

Motor function and test results for patients with PD divided after the measured medicine effect.

Variable	PD LDCT ≤ 30% (n = 21)	PD LDCT > 30% (n = 16)	value
Hand dominance, right/left (%)	17/4 (81, 19)	13/3 (81.2, 18.8)	1.000
Motor asymmetry, yes/no	16/5 (76.2, 23.8)	14/2 (87.5, 12.5)	0.675
Tremor as first symptom, yes/no	7/14 (33.3, 66.7)	9/7 (56.2, 43.8)	0.196
UPDRS total on	42	34.5	0.025
UPDRS-I	3	2	0.913
UPDRS-II	12	10.5	0.380
UPDRS-III motor score
Off score	30	34	0.634
On score	26	16.5	0.006
Motor improvement in %	17.0	42.9	<0.001
UPDRS-IV	2	4	0.023
Total LEDD (mg/day)	550	612	0.951
Modified Hoehn and Yahr stage	2	2	0.973
ADL	80	90	0.211
BDI	8	8.5	1.000

PD LDCT ≤ 30%, PD acute levodopa challenge test with a change less than or equal to 30% improvement of UPDRS III; PD LDCT > 30%, PD acute levodopa challenge test with more than 30% improvement of UPDRS III; UPDRS, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale; LEDD, Levodopa Equivalent Daily Dose; ADL, Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living Scale; BDI, Beck’s Depression Inventory. The total daily L-dopa equivalent dose (LEDD) for each patient is calculated by using the conversion factors form Tomlinson [10]. We did not distinguish between L-dopa medicines with immediate or controlled release. All values are reported as the median (minimum, maximum) or absolute frequency (relative frequency in %).