The ORCHESTRA Luxembourg study is formed as a subgroup of the Luxembourg Parkinson’s Study. Through this new study, people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are kindly invited to support research on COVID-19 in relation to PD, in Luxembourg and the Greater Region. Participation in this study is very important as the SARS-CoV-2 first appeared in 2019 and thus has not been studied extensively yet, which is required to better predict future pandemic outbreaks and their consequences. Study-based evidence allows developing recommendations for effective prevention, protection and optimised treatment of COVID-19 patients.

What does the participation entail?

• A questionnaire (which takes approximately 30 minutes) that addresses the following domains:
  • Demographic and socio-economic questions
  • Comorbidities (i.e. other diseases besides PD) and current medication
  • SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
  • Knowledge and perception of risks related to SARS-CoV-2
  • Questions related to Parkinson’s disease
  • Psychological questions
• Collection of biological samples: blood, a nasal and a throat swab. In addition, a stool sample will be collected on a voluntary basis.

For the sample collection a nurse will visit you at home.

Specific tests are foreseen on the samples, e.g.:

• Virology testing on nasopharyngeal samples to check if the virus is present and which virus variant.
• Serology testing on blood samples to analyse the antibodies circulating in the blood indicating if the immune system encountered and reacted against the coronavirus and/or the vaccine.

To achieve long-term monitoring and understand the long-term effects, this procedure will be repeated at 3, 9, and 21 months. By offering a little bit of your time across the next two years, you can make an important contribution to understanding how well people with PD specifically are protected from COVID-19 by getting vaccinated.

To participate, please contact: orchestra.luxembourg [at] lih.lu