Common medications may delay Parkinson’s onset

In a new Cedars-Sinai study of Parkinson’s disease patients, those who had taken common medications to control pain, blood pressure, diabetes or cholesterol saw their symptoms begin years later than patients who never took these medications. The investigators, whose work was published in the Journal of Neurology, say larger studies are needed to determine whether the drugs in fact delayed the onset of Parkinson’s.

The analysis of data on 1,201 Cedars-Sinai patients with Parkinson’s disease found:

• Patients who took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including ibuprofen and aspirin, were on average 8.6 years older at the onset of symptoms than patients who had not taken the medications.
• Patients who took statins to lower cholesterol were an average of 9.3 years older at symptom onset.
• Those taking beta blockers to reduce blood pressure averaged being 9.6 years older when their symptoms first appeared when compared with patients not exposed to these medications.

Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative brain condition, is associated with tremors, balance problems and slowed movement; an individual’s risk of developing it increases with age. Its cause is unknown, though genetics play a role in some cases.

“The medications we studied have common features that may explain their effect on Parkinson’s disease, including the ability to control inflammation,” said Michele Tagliati, MD, vice chair of the Department of Neurology and director of the Division of Movement Disorders at Cedars-Sinai and senior author of the study.

“While additional studies are needed to monitor patients over time, this research suggests that the medications studied also help control the cellular stress response and brain inflammation, which may have a prominent role in delaying the development of Parkinson’s disease.”