Epilogue and Some Conclusions

As it was extensively presented along Chapters 1 and 2, Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a major, chronic, non-communicable disease and the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. There is currently no cure for PD, but treatments are available to help relieve the symptoms and maintain individual’s Quality of Life (QoL) at least for the first years. It has been already debated the impact on the QoL of the Parkinson’s Disease due to an enormous number of motor and non-motor symptoms: bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor, postural instability, reduced gait speed, freezing of gait, sleep disturbances, depression, psychosis, autonomic and gastrointestinal dysfunction as well as dementia. As already explained, the majority of patients will develop an increasing number of more complex symptoms over time. The treatment in the early stages of the disease, focused on the use of levodopa in pills, is very effective. Nevertheless, different problems related with the treatment may start to appear depending on the advance of the disease. Thus, it might be the case of motor complications: motor fluctuations such as the wearing-off phenomenon, involuntary movements known as dyskinesia, abnormal cramps and postures of the extremities and trunk known as dystonia, and a variety of complex fluctuations in other motor and nonmotor functions. In these cases, the correct adjustment of the therapy is crucial