Initial management of Parkinson's disease in a Florida community

We evaluated the initial diagnosis and treatment patterns of 229 patients with Parkinson's disease, who presented to a university movement disorders center, regardless of where the diagnosis was first made and who initiated therapy. Patients with Parkinson's disease, under age 70, who were diagnosed prior to 1998, were almost twice as likely to receive levodopa/carbidopa as their initial medication when compared to those diagnosed after 1998. The initial diagnosis of Parkinson's disease took over 2 years to make in 25% of patients, and 70% of patients did not receive a Parkinson's disease diagnosis until 2 or more physicians were consulted.