Monitorizarea pacientului cu boală Parkinson – o provocare interdisciplinară

Parkinson’s disease is a challenge for the practitioner because it is a chronic condition that is often diagnosed late. However, there are a number of signs and symptoms that could raise the suspicion of this neurological condition. In such situations, the collaboration between the family doctor and neurologist becomes extremely important, because the family doctor can identify these changes more easily when interacting with the patient who may come accusing other symptoms, even other than those that may suggest Parkinson’s disease. In this case, an early diagnosis is possible and will allow the initiation of treatment which is important not only to maintain the patient’s quality of life for a longer period of time, but even to improve life expectancy. The role and importance of the family doctor are not limited to the early diagnosis, becaue monitoring the patient with chronic disease is interdisciplinary and the possible side effects of chronic treatment or the complications that may occur will often cause the patient to turn to his family doctor who may decide to start the treatment for non-motor disorders or may refer the patient for further investigations.