Hypertrophy of intima media of the carotid artery due to L-dopa therapy in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Introduction: Recent studies have shown that L-dopa therapy used in patients with Parkinson's disease might cause thickening of the carotid artery intima media. It is known that intima-media thickening is a sign of systemic atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to clarify the correlation between L-dopa medication and carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods: Twenty-five patients with Parkinson's disease who used L-dopa (LD+) and 17 patients who did not use L-dopa (LD-) treatment were included in this study. Colour Doppler with B-mode carotid ultrasonography was performed. The Hoehn-Yahr scale was used for staging of Parkinson's disease in an 'on' state. The Student t test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The IMT of the left internal carotidand external carotid arteries were found to be thicker in patients treated with L-dopa. The mean IMT of the left internal carotid artery was 0.937 ± 0.391 mm in the LD+ group and 0.677 ± 0.138 mm in the LD-group (P = 0.013). The mean IMT of the left external carotid artery was 0.956 ± 0.531 mm in the LD+ group and 0.646 ± 0.18 mm in the LD-group (P = 0.037). Conclusion: The IMT of the carotid artery was found to be thicker in patients who were treated with L-dopa. In conclusion, patients treated with L-dopa appear to be at a higher risk of thickening of the intima media of the carotid artery. © Springer Healthcare Communications 2008.