Heart valve disease appears to be relatively common in Parkinson’s disease patients treated with pergolide (Permax), according to results of a new study. Evidence suggests that the degree of damage correlates with lifetime dose of the drug, but the effects may be reversible. Pergolide belongs to a class of drugs called dopamine agonists. It is derived from ergot, a substance obtained from plants, and works by acting in place of dopamine, a natural substance in the brain needed to control movement. Several cases of valvular heart disease associated with pergolide treatment have been reported recently, but the prevalence of the condition is unknown, Dr. D. G. Baseman of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, and colleagues report in journal Neurology.
