Identification of wearing-off manifestations (reduction of levodopa effect) in Parkinson's disease using specific questionnaire and comparison of the results with routine ambulatory evaluations.

This study had the objective to verify if the presence of wearing-off phenomenon in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) could be better identified by the administration of the "Wearing-off Questionnaire Card" (QC). The participant patients were first evaluated by resident doctors in neurology and then invited to answer the QC for detection of motor and nonmotor wearing-off manifestations. Seventy and nine patients were enclosed in the study. The questionnaire revealed that 63 patients (80%) presented wearing-off, whereas the consultation by the resident doctors only identified 33 subjects (41%) with this phenomenon. The motor wearing-off manifestations were more frequent then the nonmotor. We conclude that the administration of the QC in patients with PD may be a useful tool for the diagnosis of wearing-off phenomena.