[Dopamine agonist therapy in early Parkinson's disease. A survey of a Cochrane review].

The Cochrane analysis confirms some well-known facts: initial therapy with dopamine agonists (DA) delays the incidence of motor complications, but is associated with inferior motor control and a higher frequency of non-motor adverse events (AE) compared with levodopa. Some serious AE are missing, probably due to the design of the included studies. The results will not change current treatment guidelines, but they emphasize the need for >>real-life<< studies with patients' quality of life or economic parameters as primary outcomes.