The progressive neurodegenerative condition affects around 153,000 people in the UK
Researchers from the Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham have revealed that a new form of speech therapy was more effective than the speech and language therapy (SLT) currently used in the NHS for Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Published in the British Medical Journal, the PD-COMM trial has been evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of two forms of SLT for people living with the neurological disease who have self-reported problems with voice or speech.
Affecting around 153,000 people in the UK, PD is a neurodegenerative condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged, causing problems such as shaking and stiffness.
Due to changes in the brain in people with PD, movements in the muscles to generate speech become smaller and less forceful than before, leading to speech and communication problems.
Carried out across the UK by NHS Speech and Language Therapy services and co-ordinated by the Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit, 288 people with PD and speech problems were assigned to either receive the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD), a type of speech therapy designed specifically for PD and other neurological diseases; NHS SLT; or no therapy.
NHS treatment is a less-intensive personalised programme that is delivered by a therapist over six to eight sessions, compared to 16 sessions over four weeks like LSVT LOUD, which trains people with PD to use their voice at a more normal level.
Results showed that people who received LSVT LOUD had a significantly better outcome, which was maintained compared to the other two groups.
Lead of the study, professor Catherine Sackley, School of Health Sciences and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, commented: “The results clearly show that, delivered in this way, the LSVT LOUD method is both effective and it can be cost-effective. The NHS method, as it is currently delivered, is not effective.
“Now we have this data, we need to look at other factors and [determine] whether, if different therapies are delivered in different ways, this would further impact the results.”

https://pharmatimes.com/news/study-finds-parkinsons-speech-therapy-more-effective-than-one-used-in-nhs/