Caffeine as symptomatic treatment for Parkinson disease (Café-PD): A randomized trial

Ronald B Postuma; Julius Anang; Amelie Pelletier; Lawrence Joseph; Mariana Moscovich; David Grimes; Sarah Furtado; Renato P Munhoz; Silke Appel-Cresswell; Adriana Moro; Andrew Borys; Douglas Hobson; Anthony E Lang

doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004568

Caffeine as symptomatic treatment for Parkinson disease (Café-PD): A randomized trial

Neurology. 2017 Oct 24;89(17):1795-1803. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004568. Epub 2017 Sep 27.

Affiliations

¹ From the Department of Neurology, Montreal General Hospital (R.B.P., A.P.), and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (L.J.), McGill University, Montreal; Department of Neurology (J.A., A.B., D.H.), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Pontifical Catholic University of Parana (M.M., A.M.), Curitiba, Brazil; Department of Neurology (D.G.), Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute; Department of Neurology (S.F.), University of Calgary; Division of Neurology (R.P.M., A.E.L.), Toronto Western Hospital; and Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, and Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre (S.A.-C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. ron.postuma@mcgill.ca.
² From the Department of Neurology, Montreal General Hospital (R.B.P., A.P.), and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (L.J.), McGill University, Montreal; Department of Neurology (J.A., A.B., D.H.), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Pontifical Catholic University of Parana (M.M., A.M.), Curitiba, Brazil; Department of Neurology (D.G.), Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute; Department of Neurology (S.F.), University of Calgary; Division of Neurology (R.P.M., A.E.L.), Toronto Western Hospital; and Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, and Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre (S.A.-C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Abstract

Objective: To assess effects of caffeine on Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods: In this multicenter parallel-group controlled trial, patients with PD with 1-8 years disease duration, Hoehn & Yahr stages I-III, on stable symptomatic therapy were randomized to caffeine 200 mg BID vs matching placebo capsules for 6-18 months. The primary research question was whether objective motor scores would differ at 6 months (Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale [MDS-UPDRS]-III, Class I evidence). Secondary outcomes included safety and tolerability, motor symptoms (MDS-UPDRS-II), motor fluctuations, sleep, nonmotor symptoms (MDS-UPDRS-I), cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and quality of life.

Results: Sixty patients received caffeine and 61 placebo. Caffeine was well-tolerated with similar prevalence of side effects as placebo. There was no improvement in motor parkinsonism (the primary outcome) with caffeine treatment compared to placebo (difference between groups -0.48 [95% confidence interval -3.21 to 2.25] points on MDS-UPDRS-III). Similarly, on secondary outcomes, there was no change in motor signs or motor symptoms (MDS-UPDRS-II) at any time point, and no difference on quality of life. There was a slight improvement in somnolence over the first 6 months, which attenuated over time. There was a slight increase in dyskinesia with caffeine (MDS-UPDRS-4.1+4.2 = 0.25 points higher), and caffeine was associated with worse cognitive testing scores (average Montreal Cognitive Assessment = 0.66 [0.01, 1.32] worse than placebo).

Conclusion: Caffeine did not provide clinically important improvement of motor manifestations of PD (Class I evidence). Epidemiologic links between caffeine and lower PD risk do not appear to be explained by symptomatic effects.

Clinicaltrialsgov identifier: NCT01738178.

Classification of evidence: This study provides Class I evidence that for patients with PD, caffeine does not significantly improve motor manifestations.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Aged
Antiparkinson Agents / therapeutic use*
Caffeine / therapeutic use*
Double-Blind Method
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Parkinson Disease / drug therapy*
Severity of Illness Index
Time Factors
Treatment Outcome

Substances

Antiparkinson Agents
Caffeine

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01738178