Table 1.
Preferred medication for PD patients under specific circumstances among doctors of different specialties
| Items | Total (n = 711)a | General physicians (n = 130) | General neurologists (n = 381) | Movement disorders specialists (n = 200) | χ2 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age < 65 years without cognitive impairment | ||||||
| Levodopa | 185 (26.0%) | 25 (19.2%) | 106 (27.8%) | 54 (27.0%) | 3.8551 | 0.1455 |
| Dopamine agonists | 333 (46.8%) | 38 (29.2%) | 177 (46.5%) | 118 (59.0%) | 28.0886 | < 0.0001 |
| MAO-B inhibitors | 164 (23.1%) | 20 (15.4%) | 86 (22.6%) | 58 (29.0%) | 8.3434 | 0.0154 |
| Benzhexol | 49 (6.9%) | 4 (3.1%) | 25 (6.6%) | 20 (10.0%) | 6.0243 | 0.0492 |
| Amantadine | 101 (14.2%) | 13 (10.0%) | 55 (14.4%) | 33 (16.5%) | 2.7671 | 0.2507 |
| Levodopa + COMT inhibitors | 95 (13.4%) | 19 (14.6%) | 48 (12.6%) | 28 (14.0%) | 0.4386 | 0.8031 |
| Age > 65 years without cognitive impairment | ||||||
| Levodopa | 345 (48.5%) | 42 (32.3%) | 187 (49.1%) | 116 (58.0%) | 20.9235 | < 0.0001 |
| Dopamine agonists | 180 (25.3%) | 22 (16.9%) | 99 (26.0%) | 59 (29.5%) | 6.7851 | 0.0336 |
| MAO-B inhibitors | 101 (14.2%) | 15 (11.5%) | 62 (16.3%) | 24 (12.0%) | 2.8932 | 0.2354 |
| Benzhexol | 32 (4.5%) | 5 (3.9%) | 19 (5.0%) | 8 (4.0%) | 0.4558 | 0.7962 |
| Amantadine | 69 (9.7%) | 8 (6.2%) | 44 (11.6%) | 17 (8.5%) | 3.6800 | 0.1588 |
| Levodopa + COMT inhibitors | 145 (20.4%) | 22 (16.9%) | 82 (21.5%) | 41 (20.5%) | 1.2648 | 0.5313 |
| Wearing off phenomenon | ||||||
| Add levodopa dose | 127 (17.9%) | 15 (11.5%) | 67 (17.6%) | 45 (22.5%) | 6.4953 | 0.0389 |
| Adjust protein diet | 181 (25.5%) | 18 (13.9%) | 87 (22.8%) | 76 (38.0%) | 27.1973 | < 0.0001 |
| Switch from standard levodopa to CR levodopa | 260 (36.6%) | 30 (23.1%) | 140 (36.8%) | 90 (45.0%) | 16.3361 | 0.0003 |
| Add COMT inhibitors or MAO-B inhibitors | 326 (45.9%) | 48 (36.9%) | 163 (42.8%) | 115 (57.5%) | 16.5500 | 0.0003 |
| Recommend surgical treatment | 83 (11.7%) | 7 (5.4%) | 35 (9.2%) | 41 (20.5%) | 22.3837 | < 0.0001 |
| Peak-dose dyskinesia | ||||||
| Reduce levodopa dose, add its frequency | 296 (41.6%) | 7 (28.5%) | 156 (40.9%) | 103 (51.5%) | 17.3687 | 0.0002 |
| Reduce levodopa dose, add dopamine agonists | 319 (44.9%) | 33 (25.4%) | 168 (44.1%) | 118 (59.0%) | 36.1891 | < 0.0001 |
| Reduce levodopa dose, add COMT inhibitors | 249 (35.0%) | 33 (25.4%) | 129 (33.9%) | 87 (43.5%) | 11.8497 | 0.0027 |
| Reduce levodopa dose, add MAO-B inhibitors | 204 (28.7%) | 23 (17.7%) | 101 (26.5%) | 80 (40.0%) | 21.0749 | < 0.0001 |
| Add amantadine | 182 (25.6%) | 20 (15.4%) | 85 (22.3%) | 77 (38.5%) | 26.7639 | < 0.0001 |
| Switch from CR levodopa to standard levodopa | 110 (15.5%) | 16 (12.3%) | 43 (11.3%) | 51 (25.5%) | 21.4792 | < 0.0001 |
asix participants supply insufficient data and not included in the present table