Retrospective evaluation of cardio-pulmonary fibrotic side effects in symptomatic patients from a group of 234 Parkinson's disease patients treated with cabergoline.
BACKGROUND
Cardiac valvulopathy has been recently associated with the use of the ergot dopamine agonist (EDA) pergolide in Parkinson's disease (PD). Cabergoline a widely used, well-tolerated EDA which has also been recently implicated in relation to fibrotic side effects although the evidence base for this is not sound.


OBJECTIVE
In PD patients on chronic cabergoline therapy, do symptoms suggestive of serosal/cardiac fibrosis imply underlying fibrotic lesions?


METHODS
A retrospective data review of 234 PD cases from three UK centres, on chronic cabergoline monotherapy or adjunctive treatment to identify symptoms suggestive of pleuro-pulmonary, cardiac or retroperitoneal fibrosis. These causes were thereafter selectively examined by appropriate specialists with relevant investigations.


CONCLUSIONS
Out of 234 cases, 15 were identified with symptoms suggestive of respiratory, cardiac or abdominal systems involvement although subsequent investigations failed to reveal definite association with cabergoline except two cases with probable alveolitis and a possible association with cardiac murmur in one case. In spite of the deficiencies of a retrospective study, the results suggest a low risk of fibrotic side effects with cabergoline, particularly cardiac valvulopathy.
Dhawan
V
V
Department of Neurology, University Hospital Lewisham, London, United Kingdom.
Medcalf
P
P
Stegie
F
F
Jackson
G
G
Basu
S
S
Luce
P
P
Odin
P
P
Chaudhuri
K Ray
KR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000077465:Cabergoline; D004873:Ergolines / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012185:Retroperitoneal Fibrosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D004873:Ergolines; D000077465:Cabergoline