Table 1 Patient characteristics by group.
| Active therapy monitoring (n = 69) | No additional therapy monitoring (n = 43) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 57% | 70% | ||
| Age, years | 64 (12) | 63 (8) | ||
| Number prescribed levodopa | 46 (67%) | 30 (70%) | ||
| Average levodopa dose, mg | 526 | 427 | ||
| Number on dopamine agonist | 50 (72%) | 30 (70%) | ||
| Number of PD drugs | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | ||
| Number of PD administrations | 4 (2) | 4 (1) | ||
| Number of PD tablets per day | 9 (5) | 8 (5) | ||
| Number of non‐PD drugs per day | 2 (2) | 3 (3) | ||
| Number of tablets per day | 12 (5) | 11 (5) | ||
| Taking >4 levodopa daily doses | 15 (20%) | 9 (21%) | ||
| Normally use compliance aid | 18 (26%) | 19 (44%) | ||
| Carer helps with medication | 13 (19%) | 8 (19%) | ||
| Duration of PD (years) | 7 (5) | 7 (5) | ||
| UPDRS 2 | 14 (6) | 15 (7) | ||
| UPDRS 3 | 27 (12) | 28 (10) | ||
| Number with dyskinesia | 21 (30%) | 10 (23%) | ||
| Number with “wearing off” | 33 (48%) | 23 (53%) | ||
| Hoehn and Yahr | 2.4 (0.6) | 2.5 (0.6) | ||
| Schwab and England | 78 (13) | 74 (16) | ||
| MMSE | 28 (4) | 28 (3) | ||
| Geriatric depression score | 11 (7) | 10 (8) |
Data are mean (standard deviation) or number (percentage). PD, Parkinson's disease; UPDRS, Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale; MMSE, Mini Mental State Examination. There were no significant differences between groups.