New research has found that the coronavirus pandemic has affected access to medication for people living with Parkinson’s disease.
The sub-study used information from a survey conducted by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. The results from 346 participants showed that 22.8% of high-income and 88.9% of low-income countries’ respondents agreed that the coronavirus crisis had impacted people’s access to Parkinson’s medication. Some respondents reported increased disability, increased hospitalisation and increased mortality as factors. The majority of those who completed the survey were doctors.
The researchers concluded: “Our results offer preliminary data that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected Parkinson’s disease patients’ access to regular medication.
“Covid-19 has diverted resources away from chronic conditions towards the fight against Covid-19 in many countries. Resource-poor countries seem to be disproportionately affected compared to their affluent counterparts.”