Respiratory dysfunction due to L-Dopa therapy for parkinsnism: Diagnosis using serial pulmonary function tests and respiratory inductive plethysmography

Abstract

Dyskinesias involving the respiratory muscles have been described in a variety of movement disorders, especially the tardive dyskinesia associated with long-term use of neuroleptic agents [l-5]. A few reports of respiratory dysfunction after L-dopa therapy for Parkinson’s disease have suggested that this drug induces a similar respiratory dyskinesia, but detailed analyses of respiratory pattern and pulmonary function have been lacking [6-91. We report herein two patients with L-dopa-induced respiratory dysfunction appearing in association with choreiform movements of muscles not related to respiration. These patients were studied using serial monitoring of breathing pattern with the respiratory inductive plethysmograph and serial monitoring of alterations in pulmonary function as assessed by forced expiratory flow volume maneuvers and peak inspiratory and expiratory mouth pressures. CASE REPORTS