Tendon rupture as an adverse effect of rasagiline

A 66-year-old woman with advanced Parkinson disease (PD) was referred to our center for an adjustment of her antiparkinsonian medication. To reduce daily off-time, we introduced rasagiline 1 mg/d. Three days after starting this new treatment, she presented with intense arthralgia that symmetrically affected the shoulders, hands, and hips without myalgia. Ten days later, while walking, she experienced acute pain on the inner side of her right thigh, with the absence of any trauma. Findings of ultrasonography confirming the diagnosis of partial avulsion of the right harmstrings. Rasagiline was stopped immediately, and the arthralgia disappeared within 48 hours and did not recur. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a spontaneous tendon rupture possibly caused by rasagiline. Our observation emphasizes that, although often well tolerated, rasagiline may cause muscle and joint complications that could increase disability in patients with PD.