Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0030567 (Parkinson's disease)
 63,064 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The cardiovascular effects of prolonged administration of levodopa were studied in 54 men and women with Parkinson's disease; 23 of them were younger than 70 and 31 were 70 or older. The patients were evaluated clinically before treatment was started and at regular intervals thereafter. The average optimal dosage of levodopa for both age groups was 3.0 and 2.5 gm per day, respectively, during an average treatment period of 20.7 months. Eleven patients showed hypotension (systolic BP of 105 mm Hg or less) that was not related to dosage; in only 6 did the drug have to be permanently discontinued because of syncope; 3 of this group had an associated psychiatric disorder. Four patients had pretreatment hypertension; in 3 the BP fell to normal during therapy; in the remaining patient the hypertension persisted and was successfully treated by an antihypertensive drug. In 5 patients an occasional atrial or ventricular ectopic beat was noted both before and during levodopa therapy but no therapeutic intervention was required. Thirty of the 46 patients with adequate ECG follow-up did not show any significant changes; 5 others showed an increase, and 11 a decrease in myocardial ischemia. Thus the administration of levodopa in elderly patients with or without heart disease is a relatively safe procedure. The only exception would be patients over 70 years of age with a history of previous myocardial infarction. In this group there seems to be a higher incidence of clinically significant hypotension. In such patients, levodopa therapy should be carried out with great caution.
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PMID:Cardiovascular effects of levodopa in aged versus younger patients with Parkinson's disease. 125 82

Over the past 15 yr, a marked increase in crude mortality rates from Parkinson's disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has occurred in the U.S. This is often attributed to as yet undefined environmental factors. The deterministic risk of general mortality and mortality due to PD, ALS, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and stroke for the years 1963, 1977, and 1986 in the U.S., as defined by the method of longitudinal Gompertzian analysis, were calculated and compared. When the rise in PD and ALS mortality is viewed from the perspective of deterministic and competitive mortality dynamics, it becomes evident that the major force increasing mortality from these two neurologic diseases is the declining mortality from IHD and stroke. Consequently, there is no need to invoke intrinsic etiologic alterations in the environment to account for the observed increases in PD and ALS mortality. Recognition of the competitive nature of human mortality illustrates the inherent risk of making etiopathogenic conclusions based upon single disease mortality data.
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PMID:Rising mortality due to Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a manifestation of the competitive nature of human mortality. 143 14

Studies of diseases caused by mitochondrial DNA mutations suggest that a variety of degenerative processes may be associated with defects in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Application of this hypothesis has provided new insights into such diverse clinical problems as ischemic heart disease, late-onset diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and aging.
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PMID:Mitochondrial genetics: a paradigm for aging and degenerative diseases? 153 53

Deprenyl is a synthetic, selective inhibitor of the monoamine oxidase-B enzyme system. The mechanism of its beneficial effect in early and advanced Parkinson's disease is not settled. Increased striatal dopamine accumulation, sensitization of surviving dopamine neurons with increased dopamine production and reduced nigro-striatal toxicity may all contribute. The standard daily dose of deprenyl is 10 mg. Selectivity may be lost at higher doses. Deprenyl is especially indicated in untreated patients, improving up to 50 percent of patients with mild motor fluctuations. Major symptomatic benefit also occurs in occasional levodopa treated patients. Adverse effects are common, however. Increase dyskinesias, confusion and hallucinations, nausea and postural hypotension may necessitate drug withdrawal or the use of low dose regimens. Caution should be exercised with older patients, those with ulcer disease, which may be worsened by deprenyl, and individuals with active ischemic heart disease where the safety of this drug is not yet clear.
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PMID:Deprenyl in Parkinson's disease: mechanisms, neuroprotective effect, indications and adverse effects. 157 60

The voices of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease change in various ways. This paper sets out to examine the effect of these changes on the impressions made on listeners, and to try to see what vocalic and prosodic features account for these impressions. Tape recordings from segments of interviews with 4 patients, and 4 control subjects with ischaemic heart disease, were played to 16 naive listeners. These listeners were asked to rate their impressions of these voices on 15 dimensions of personality. There were significant differences on most of the dimensions, despite the fact that there were no differences between the two groups on such scales as Beck's depression inventory and the mood adjective check list. The parkinsonian patients were seen to be cold, withdrawn and anxious, not to relate well to the interviewer and to be enjoying the interview less than the controls. These ratings are very similar to those previously reported for the same patients, using silent video recordings only. The voice recordings were analysed along various dimensions of prosody. The factors which were different between the groups included the frequency and type of pauses in speech and the range or variability of the fundamental frequency. The implications of this exploratory study for intervention are discussed.
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PMID:Impressions of parkinsonian patients from their recorded voices. 237 6

A prospective prognostic study of all admissions to a geriatric assessment and rehabilitation unit was carried out which analysed the medical profiles of 205 patients admitted for the first time during a four month period. All patients were followed up for at least six months after discharge. Particularly poor prognosis was noted among patients with renal failure, ischaemic heart disease, depression, pneumonia, congestive cardiac failure, trauma, mental disorder and dementia. Good prognosis was reported in patients with Parkinson's disease, faecal impaction, stroke and adverse drug reactions. Multiple diagnoses were common, and only nine patients had no active medical problems during their admission. The implications for adequate training of geriatricians in medicine are discussed.
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PMID:Medical profiles of patients admitted to a geriatric assessment and rehabilitation unit. 345 Nov 40

To estimate the frequency of diuretic-related electrolyte disorders in the elderly, 561 consecutive admissions to three acute geriatric units were studied. For the 287 admissions to one unit, discharge/death diagnoses were also examined in relation to admission diuretic therapy. Sodium concentrations were significantly lower, and urea and creatinine significantly higher, in patients on diuretics, though the size of the differences was small. Comparing different preparations sodium concentrations were significantly lower on Moduretic than on Dyazide or Navidrex K and on frusemide when combined with a potassium-retaining diuretic rather than a potassium supplement. Potassium concentrations were significantly lower on Bendrofluazide alone compared to Navidrex K or Moduretic. Diuretics were positively associated with cardiac failure, ischaemic heart disease, airflow obstruction and obstructive large bowel disorders but negatively with Parkinson's disease. No significant association was found with falls, immobility or confusion. Major electrolyte disorders on diuretics appear to be unusual but important differences exist between preparations. Similarly major illness resulting from diuretic therapy is rare but minor morbidity may be more common.
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PMID:Biochemical and clinical correlates of diuretic therapy in the elderly. 379 65

In this cohort study, 16,911 men who had completed a mailed dietary questionnaire were followed for 11 1/2 years with 721 deaths reported from ischemic heart disease (IHD) (excluding those reporting on the questionnaire a prior history of angina or other heart conditions). Although no association was found between coffee consumption and mortality from IHD, a negative association between coffee consumption and mortality from diseases other than IHD was found. This negative association, found exclusively in the first four years of follow-up, was observed in deaths from digestive diseases, other than malignancies, and paralysis agitans, which made the greatest contribution to this observed negative association. The negative association appeared to reflect a reduction in coffee consumption related to the disorders in question and not to a protective effect of coffee. It has been suggested that the positive association between coffee consumption and IHD reported in some case-control studies may reflect a decreased consumption among controls rather than an unusually high consumption among cases.
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PMID:Coffee consumption and mortality from ischemic heart disease and other causes: results from the Lutheran Brotherhood study, 1966-1978. 723 54

Despite a realisation that antioxidants will not delay ageing in healthy older people, there is increasing scientific interest in the role of free radical oxidants in a number of diseases associated with older age. For most of these diseases there is suggestive theoretical and laboratory evidence but not confirmatory clinical evidence. Free radical damage seems likely to be significant in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, ischaemia-reperfusion injury, Parkinson's disease, cataract, some cancers and rheumatoid arthritis. Evidence to suggest a protective effect from antioxidant vitamins exists for ischaemic heart disease, cataract and some cancers. Attempts to influence the outcome of other diseases such as ischaemia-reperfusion injury, Parkinson's disease and rheumatoid arthritis have so far failed to achieve positive results. Research interest in the field is increasing although hampered by methodological difficulties and the limited financial return for drug companies. In the meantime there seems no reason to discourage older people who wish to ingest extra vitamin E and vitamin C. A diet with adequate vegetables and fruits should provide sufficient beta carotene.
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PMID:Free radicals, antioxidants and preventive geriatrics. 806 Feb 75

Population aging is continuously increasing in Italy and in the World. Individuals aged 60 years or more are currently 10,500,000 and will be 13,000,000 in 2015. Life quality in geriatric ages includes the maintenance of sexual power: according to recent data (Carrol et al., 1992), 80% of impotence cases are due to organic causes. In addition, the use of drugs can cause impotence. Among them tiazidic diuretics may cause an increase of sexual disturbances. Other drugs with this potential are digitalis, antihypertensive drugs (particularly beta blockers), major and minor tranquillizers, antidepressant, H2 receptor antagonists, antiparkinsonian cholinergic drugs and estrogens employed in the treatment of prostate tumors. Diseases of geriatric age that can alter sexual power are diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease for the accompanying depression and for the use of antidepressants; severe hypertension is complicated by impotence in 15% of cases. Among neurological diseases Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis can be causes of sexual dysfunctions. Patients on hemodialysis can be impotent, with recent data (Soloh et al 1992) showing that erythropoietin treatment of anemia also improve sexual dysfunctions. Prevention from a geriatric standpoint should be base on action on known risk factor as smoking, alcohol abuse and dislipidemias and with the activation of a close drug vigilance.
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PMID:[Andrologic problems and internal pathology in the elderly]. 825 79


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