7-YEAR FOLLOW-UP-STUDY OF BROMOCRIPTINE THERAPY FOR PARKINSONS-DISEASE

A 7-year nationwide study of bromocriptine monotherapy and combination therapy with bromocriptine and levodopa in Parkinson's disease is rep orted. Of 22 patients who had been on bromocriptine monotherapy for 7 years (group B), 16 remained improved or remained in the same stages o f Hoehn and Yahr, and no wearing-off phenomenon or dyskinesia was obse rved. In another 56 patients who were started on bromocriptine alone, but in whom combination therapy with levodopa was instituted at some t ime in the 7 years (group BL), disease progressed faster than in group B. A wearing-off phenomenon and dyskinesia occurred in 34% and 5.4% o f the patients, respectively. These manifestations appeared only after initiation of levodopa. The favorable course of group B suggests poss ible neuroprotective effects of bromocriptine or may be due to the ine vitable selection of patients who had a favorable course originally.