Risk of valvular heart disease associated with the use of dopamine agonists in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.

UNLABELLED: A literature review was conducted to assess risk of cardiac valve regurgitation (CVR) associated with use of ergot-derived and non-ergot dopamine agonists (DAs) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

INCLUSION CRITERIA: case-control/observational studies of >10 patients with PD treated with DAs, including a control group and assessment of incidence/risk of CVR. Of the 166 publications identified, 14 met all inclusion criteria and included 1,750 patients. In 11 of the studies, a significant increase in CVR frequency of any severity (at the aortic, mitral or tricuspid valve) in the ergot group vs. the non-ergot or control group was described. No study reported increased risk of CVR for non-ergot DAs, compared with controls. In the studies identified in the literature, the use of ergot-derived DAs (pergolide and cabergoline) in patients with PD was associated with increased risk of CVR. Increased risk of CVR was not associated with the use of non-ergot DAs.