Ergot derivatives used to treat Parkinson's disease can be linked to lung disease.

[John Cottingham <jcott@xxxxxxxxx>]

The Australian, a national newspaper in Sydney, reported the following today:
Ergot derivatives used to treat Parkinson's disease can be linked to lung 
disease.
Bromocriptine/Parlodel and pergolide/Permax are ergot derivatives.

The source is: 

Medicines leaving patients breathless
By BELINDA HICKMAN
31aug00

MORE than 300 common drugs have been identified as causing lung diseases, such 
as coughing and asthma, prompting warnings that doctors are not sufficiently 
aware of the medicines' potential for causing serious side effects.

The first World Congress on Lung Health and Respiratory Diseases, which began 
in Florence yesterday, has heard that hundreds of drugs supplied for disorders 
including high blood pressure, allergies, rheumatism, infections and cancer can 
cause lung diseases.
The effects may occur quickly or over a long period of time. If problems are 
identified, patients are advised to stop or change medications.

Symptoms usually subside if the side effect is identified early, but long-term 
lung scarring can occur if the problem is not picked up quickly.

French physician Philippe Camus, of the University Medical Centre in Dijon, 
told the congress he had found at least 50 lung diseases and syndromes ? 
including coughs, breathlessness, pleurisy and acute respiratory failure ? that 
could be caused, or aggravated by, common medicines. He said 310 drugs had so 
far been identified as affecting the lungs.

"This means the number is really much greater if you consider that each active 
principle in a preparation is usually marketed in several different forms," 
Professor Camus said in a statement distributed by the congress, which is being 
attended by 15,000 specialists from 84 countries.

"The problem was practically unknown 25 years ago, but it is now taking on 
alarming proportions."

Australian specialists yesterday supported Professor Camus's findings, warning 
that doctors and patients needed to be more aware of the onset of respiratory 
symptoms ? such as coughing, breathlessness, wheezing and chest pains ? when 
beginning a medication.

Australian Lung Foundation national chairman Bob Edwardes said he saw four to 
five patients a year who had developed lung disease symptoms from taking a new 
medicine.

"Australia-wide, there would probably be several hundred cases a year. It is a 
significant problem and one that is not very well recognised," Dr Edwardes said.

"The message for patients who have started a new treatment, or doctors seeing 
people coming back with wheezing, breathlessness or coughing, is that you must 
consider the drug is causing the trouble."

Professor Camus's team has created a website (www.pneumotox.com), which lists 
drugs according to the number of reports of adverse lung events made about them.



Drug categories linked to pulmonary diseases:

Beta-blockers for high blood pressure

ACE-inhibitors for congestive heart failure and high blood pressure

Antibiotics

Non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory painkillers

Anti-cancer medications

Anti-depressants

Ergot derivatives used to treat Parkinson's disease.


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John Cottingham