Efficacy of pramipexole on quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Plain Language Summary Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive nervous system disorder with no known cure. Patients may experience a number of symptoms including stiffness, slowness, and uncontrollable muscle movements, all of which impact their quality of life. Most clinical studies in Parkinson’s disease measure the effect of treatment on improving symptoms, but other aspects such as quality of life are often overlooked. It is important to include quality of life measures in clinical studies of Parkinson’s disease, such as the 39-item Parkinson’s disease questionnaire (PDQ-39), to understand the impact of treatment from patients’ perspectives. Pramipexole is a dopamine agonist that is well-tolerated and effective at treating Parkinson’s disease symptoms. However, studies examining its effect on quality of life are inconclusive. This meta-analysis of existing clinical trials therefore aimed to evaluate the effect of pramipexole on quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Six trials consisting of at least 2000 patients with early or advanced Parkinson’s disease receiving treatment with pramipexole were included in this meta-analysis. Analysis of these six trials found a significant improvement in PDQ-39 total score with pramipexole compared with placebo. This meta-analysis provides new evidence for the potential treatment benefit of pramipexole in improving quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Keywords

• Parkinson’s disease
• Pramipexole
• Meta-analysis
• PDQ-39