Summary.
Objective. To determine if therapy with an ergot and a non-ergot dopamine agonist and levodopa confers an increased risk of excessive daytime sleepiness and secondary "sleep attacks" in Parkinson's disease (PD).
Methods. Comparative study of three clinical groups taking, pramipexole (Group 1, n = 19, 8 monotherapy), cabergoline (Group 2, n = 22, 10 monotherapy), and levodopa monotherapy (Group 3, n = 14). Clinical and demographic characteristics, occurrence of "sleep attacks", and assessment of daytime sleepiness [using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)], recorded.
Results. No patients reported "sleep attacks". Mean ESS scores: Group 1 (pramipexole) 8.0 ± 4.5 (range 0–16), Group 2 (cabergoline) 8.1 ± 3.9 (range 0–19), Group 3 (levodopa), 8.1 ± 5.5 (range 1–18). There was no significant difference between groups (p = 0.897). Scores of ≥16 indicating excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) were evenly distributed throughout treatment groups, particularly in older patients with more advanced disease.
Conclusions.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received March 31, 2000; accepted August 3, 2000
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pal, S., Bhattacharya, K., Agapito, C. et al. A study of excessive daytime sleepiness and its clinical significance in three groups of Parkinson's disease patients taking pramipexole, cabergoline and levodopa mono and combination therapy. J Neural Transm 108, 71–77 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s007020170098
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s007020170098