The Association Between Dopamine Agonists and Cardiac Valvulopathy, Fibrosis and Other Cardiopulmonary Events

The Association Between Dopamine Agonists and Cardiac Valvulopathy, Fibrosis and Other Cardiopulmonary Events

To assess the association between cabergoline and other dopamine agonists (DAs), and symptomatic, diagnosed serious cardiopulmonary disorders, including:

1. Cardiac valve regurgitation
2. Diffuse Pleural/pulmonary thickening and pericardial and retroperitoneal fibrosis
3. Heart failure
4. Total, cardiac and respiratory mortality

Inclusion Criteria:

• At least one year registered with the general practitioner (GP), one year of valid data from the GP, or the date of software conversion (if GP software systems had changed) and meeting criteria for any one of the 4 cohorts as defined.

Exclusion Criteria:

• rheumatic heart disease
• congenital heart disease: includes structural defects, congenital arrhythmias, and cardiomyopathies
• dilated cardiomyopathy (congestive cardiomyopathy
• pericardial, pleural, pulmonary or retroperitoneal fibrosis
• endocarditis or myocarditis
• carcinoid syndrome
• intravenous drug abuse
• fibrotic valvular heart disease
• pleural/pulmonary/pericardial/retroperitoneal fibroses
• use of fenfluramine or amiodarone within 3 years prior to date of diagnosis of fibrotic valvular heart disease