Hubert Fernandez, MD: The Top Concerns for Parkinson Disease

“As the disease progresses, the medication we give 3 times a day only lasts for 1 or 2 hours, not 4 or 5 hours. These patients are then in this limbo state of waiting for their next medication dosing and then they have a good 1 hour of ON time.”

Parkinson disease (PD), like many other neurological disorders, has no cure at the moment. But, progressive advancements in treatments have helped alleviate OFF time and thus boost minimal cognitive impairments. The problems that lie within the disease are very ranged, with individuals experiencing different complications, both motor and non-motor every day.

Hubert Fernandez, MD, understands that although the cure is the number 1 unmet need, other areas of improvement include treatments for mental issues, balance and other motor fluctuations that are associated with PD. He mentions that falling is a symptom that commonly occurs in patients with PD, but there are no therapies that can assist with the problem.

Fernandez, director of the Center for Neurological Restoration at Cleveland Clinic, sat down with NeurologyLive to unveil his top 5 greatest unmet needs for patients with PD. He also detailed some of the non-motor symptoms associated with PD that don’t garner enough attention.