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Parkinson's Disease and Coenzyme Q10 Study
The current available treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD) are aimed at improving symptoms. “To date, there is no proven therapy that slows the progression of the disease in the brain,” said Karen Blindauer, MD, director of the Movement Disorders Program at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin. That could change depending on the outcome of a study now enrolling patients at Froedtert & The Medical College. The trial will evaluate the effectiveness of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) in slowing the progress of PD in its early stages. CoQ is produced naturally in the body and is manufactured as a nutritional supplement. Dr. Blindauer is the local principal investigator of the study.
Froedtert & The Medical College are one of about 50 sites participating in the trial, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and organized by the Parkinson Study Group. It is a follow-up to an initial pilot study in a small number of patients that suggested high doses of CoQ can slow progression of disease in patients with early stage PD. “The current trial is intended to either prove or refute the results of the pilot study and gather more safety data,” Dr. Blindauer said. “This study should tell us once and for all whether or not taking the supplement CoQ is an effective therapy for PD.”
For more information, call 414-805-3666 or 800-272-3666. You can also read Moving Forward, the blog of the program’s physicians.
Source: Froedtert Today Date: January 2010 |
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