Risk factors for compulsive gambling in those taking Parkinson Meds

Medical history and personality could play a role in determining which patients with Parkinson's disease will develop a compulsive gambling habit whilst taking dopamine agonists. Dr Valerie Voon (National institute of Neurological Disorders) and colleagues comment that pathological gambling has previously been associated with dopamine agonist use, but unrelated to dosage, suggesting that an underlying trait may interact with the drugs and make an individual more vulnerable to this adverse effect.To explore further the investigators compared the characteristics of 21 patients with Parkinson's disease who developed pathological gambling habits after beginning to take dopamine agonists with 42 patients with Parkinson's disease who did not develop compulsive behaviours.Participants were assessed for impulsivity, substance abuse, mood and anxiety disorders together with an additional measure for novelty-seeking traits, characterised by impulsive and risk-taking behaviour and excitement in response to new experiences.As the authors had anticipated "patients with Parkinson disease who developed pathological gambling when receiving dopamine agonists had a younger age at disease onset, higher novelty-seeking scores, a personal or immediate family history of alcohol use disorders, and impaired planning on an impulsivity scale."Dr Voon's group note that whilst younger age at disease onset rather than younger age was associated with pathological gambling, the preferential use of dopamine agonists in younger patients with Parkinson disease may have been a confounder."Screening for such features and advising those at higher risk may be warranted," the authors conclude.Reference...