Abstract

The popularity of monoamine oxidase type B inhibitors (MAOIBs) in early Parkinson’s disease decreased after their use was found to be associated with increased mortality. But a recent meta-analysis of 17 randomised trials including 3525 patients showed no significant difference in mortality between patients taking MAOBIs and control patients. An accompanying editorial says these drugs clearly provide symptomatic benefit and probably entail no risk of increased mortality if they are used as monotherapy and in younger and otherwise healthy patients. As for their use in polytherapy and older people, the debate over mortality continues.

British Medical Journal, 2004, 329, 581–582.

MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) vaccination induces fever and predictably results in an increase in the rate of febrile seizures. A large and robust population based cohort study of over half a million children reported in JAMA confirms this. This increased rate of seizures was restricted to two weeks