[Daily defined doses of parkinsonian drugs in Alcoi].

Background: Some authors have suggested that the use of DDD (defined daily doses) of L-dopa may be useful as an indicator of the frequency of Parkinson's disease.

Aim: To determine the measurement for L-dopa and selegiline in Alcoi.

Material And Methods: We have obtained the intakes for L-dopa and selegiline between January and December, 1990 and we have calculated the DDD/1,000 inhab/day.

Results: During the study period, we have found that the mean intakes were 18,000.969 mg and 53,800 mg for L-dopa and selegiline, respectively. And so, the L-dopa intake in Alcoi was 0.60 DDD/ 1,000 inh, and the selegiline intake was 0.21 DDD/1,000 inh.

Discussion: Comparing the other data of the literature, specially in scandinavian countries, the obtained intake for L-dopa was low, and that could indicate that the frequency of the disease in Alcoi was lower.