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Cardiovascular reflexes in Parkinson's disease: long‐term effects of levodopa treatment on de novo patients
Author(s) -
Camerlingo M.,
Ferraro B.,
Gazzaniga G. C.,
Casto L.,
Cesana B. M.,
Mamoli A.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1990.tb01568.x
Subject(s) - levodopa , orthostatic vital signs , medicine , carbidopa , heart rate , diaphragmatic breathing , parkinson's disease , dopaminergic , anesthesia , blood pressure , cardiology , reflex , dopamine , disease , alternative medicine , pathology
Twelve parkinsonian patients (6 men and 6 women), mean age 60.5 years, range 47–72, were examined with autonomic test when de novo and after 2 years of continuous levodopa treatment. They were all free from any disease interfering with autonomic examination. When de novo they had a significant decrease of heart rate response to deep breathing and to laying to standing tests if compared with an age‐ and sex‐matched control group (15.6 + 8.8 vs. 28.6 + 12.1, p < 0.01 and 7.0 + 7 vs . 14.2 + 5, p < 0.01). After 2 years of levodopa treatment they had a non‐significant decrease of heart rate response to deep breathing test (21.8 + 10.6, P N.S.) and a still significant decrease of heart rate response to laying to standing test, but at a lesser level (7.7 + 7.0, p < 0.05). Furthermore, they showed a significant decrease of the systolic and MAP orthostatic pressure to tilting table (‐9.2 + 12.0 vs. +4.9 + 8.9 and ‐4.5 + 8.4 vs. +4.7 + 5.1, both p < 0.01) probably due to medication. The other tests were never significant. We hazard as possible explanation an action of levodopa on dopaminergic neurons in the nucleus dorsalis of vagus.