Drug Gives Hope to Parkinson’s Disease Victims

ONE of the most distressing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be treated, a major British trial suggests.

A drug normally given to sufferers from Alzheimer’s disease has been shown to be effective against dementia.

Parkinson’s chiefly affects the brain’s motor neurons, causing rigidity, shaking and lack of balance. But two out of five victims also develop dementia.

A trial on 541 patients, including 52 from the UK, showed that those taking the Alzheimer’s drug rivastigmine tartrate had significantly fewer dementia symptoms.

Dr Jane Byrne, from Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, who led the UK arm of the study, said: ‘This is the first large-scale trial of its kind to show that PDD (Parkinson’s disease dementia) can be treated.

Until now, previous studies have been very small scale.’