Cardiovascular effects of domperidone in patients with Parkinson's diseasetreated with apomorphine

Objectives - The cardiovascular effects of the peripheral dopamine D2-recep tor antagonist domperidone were studied in patients with idiopathic Parkins on's disease treated with continuous subcutaneous infusion of apomorphine. Material and methods - Blood pressure and heart rate of 10 patients were mo nitored for 24 h before and after treatment with domperidone using. an auto matic device for blood pressure recording. Results - Blood pressure and hea rt rate increased significantly during 24 h of domperidone treatment. When day and night values were analysed separately, a significant difference of blood pressure between the groups was found only during the day whereas hea rt rate was significantly increased during both day and night. Domperidone shifted blood pressure and heart rate upwards without affecting the rop of blood pressure in the erect position. Conclusion - Domperidone increases bl ood pressure and heart rate without inducing nocturnal hypertension in apom orphine treated patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Increased hea rt rate by domperidone is a new finding but the clinical significance is un clear and requires further investigation.