Selegiline and blood pressure in patients with Parkinson's disease.
OBJECTIVE
Parkinson's disease (PD) frequently affects both the extrapyramidal system and the autonomic nervous system (ANS), the latter also being sometimes disturbed by PD medications. Specifically selegiline is known to disturb cardiovascular ANS functions and may cause or enhance orthostatic hypotension.


METHODS
In order to study the effect of the withdrawal of selegiline on the regulation of blood pressure (BP) in advanced PD, an orthostatic test was performed in 14 PD patients with wearing-off before the morning levodopa dose and thereafter repetitively at 1-h intervals for up to 4 h. A Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score evaluation was also carried out hourly. The tests were repeated after a 4-week selegiline washout period.


RESULTS
Selegiline withdrawal decreased systolic BP significantly during the on-stage in a supine position as well as during the orthostatic test. The initial drop of BP in the orthostatic test was significantly smaller after selegiline withdrawal. The heart rate remained unaffected.
Pursiainen
V
V
Department of Neurology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland. ville.pursiainen@sci.fi
Korpelainen
T J
TJ
Haapaniemi
H T
HT
Sotaniemi
A K
AK
Myllylä
V V
VV
D000368:Aged; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D012642:Selegiline / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D012642:Selegiline