Factors predicting response to dopaminergic treatment for resting tremor of Parkinson's disease

We aimed to evaluate the clinical factors predicting response to dopaminergic treatment for resting tremor in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Eighty-five PD patients with prominent resting tremor, defined as tremors of score greater than 3 in at least one limb on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), were divided into those responsive or nonresponsive to dopaminergic treatment. Responsiveness was defined as a reduction of at least two points for more than 3 months in the UPDRS tremor score. Of the 85 patients, 36 (42.4%) were responsive and 49 (57.6%) were nonresponsive to dopaminergic treatment Initial UPDRS III score (P = 0.015) and Hoehn and Yahr stage (P = 0.010) were each significantly higher in the RG than in the NRG. UPDRS subscores for rigidity (P = 0.012), bradykmesia (P = 0.021) and postural impair ment (P = 0.018) also correlated with responsiveness to dopaminergic treatment Resting tremor in PD patients was more responsive to dopaminergic treatment when accompanied by moderate degrees of bradykinesia and rigidity than in patients without other prominent parkinsonian features.