IMAGES IN NEUROLOGY

Darkening of white hair in Parkinson's disease during use of levodopa rich Mucuna pruriens extract powder

Escurecimento do cabelo branco na doença de Parkinson durante tratamento com extrato em pó de Mucuna pruriens rico em levodopa

Renato P Munhoz^I; Hélio A G Teive^II

^IMD MSc at State of Paraná Parkinson Association, Curitiba PR, Brazil
^IIMD PhD at Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba PR, Brazil

Correspondence

An 85-year-old patient with stable Parkinson's disease (PD), treated with levodopa/carbidopa 250/25 mg tid. During a follow-up visit, it was noticed that her temporal white hair was getting progressively darker (Figure), starting after introduction of Mucuna pruriens extract (MPE) at a dose equivalent to 1000 mg of levodopa/day. Hair and beard darkening was recognized as a complication of treatment with levodopa in PD since its earliest introduction.¹ DOPA/dopamine are intermediate metabolites in the production of melanin, therefore, this association is not surprising. After the addition of decarboxylase inhibitors, this phenomenon, probably related to peripheral effects of levodopa, became strikingly rare.

References

1. Reynolds NJ, Crossley J, Ferguson I, Peachey RD. Darkening of white hair in Parkinson's disease. Clin Exp Dermatol 1989;14:317-318.         [ Links ]

Correspondence:
Renato Puppi Munhoz
Travessa Lange 225
80240-170 Curitiba PR - Brazil
E-mail: renatopuppi@yahoo.com

Received: 12 September 2012
Received in final form: 20 September 2012
Accepted: 27 September 2012
Conflict of interest: There is no conflict of interest to declare.