8-YEAR FOLLOW-UP-STUDY OF BROMOCRIPTINE MONOTHERAPY FOR PARKINSONS-DISEASE

An 8-year nationwide study of bromocriptine monotherapy and combinatio n therapy with bromocriptine and levodopa in Parkinson's disease is re ported. Fifteen patients were on bromocriptine monotherapy, and 44 pat ients on bromocriptine combined with levodopa for a certain time durin g an 8-year period. By judging from Hoehn and Yahr's grading, 4 of the 15 patients in the monotherapy group were in a better condition than before treatment, while 7 cases remained in the same grading, and only 4 showed deterioration. On the other hand, 26 of 44 patients on combi nation therapy showed more advanced grading at the end of 8 years comp ared to the stage at the onset of the trial. Maintenance doses of brom ocriptine in the two groups were 12-13 mg per day, and levodopa doses were kept at a relatively low level (310-370 mg per day) during this s tudy period. Whether dopamine receptor agonists have neuroprotective e ffect or not is extremely difficult to prove in human subjects, but th is type of long-term follow-up study might give some clues as to these important questions.