July 6, 2012
World
Image Credit: HealthDay
Parkinson's
disease patients experience declines in
physical abilities and quality of life
several years before the degenerative
disease is diagnosed, new research
finds.
In women, the declines started about 7.5
years before diagnosis, while in men,
declines were noted at three years prior
to diagnosis, according to the study in
the June 2 issue of the Journal of
Parkinson's Disease.
Parkinson's disease occurs when the
neurons that produce dopamine, a crucial
brain chemical, in certain regions of
the brain die. Symptoms, which worsen
over time, can include tremors,
stiffness, slurred speech and trouble
walking.
Researchers examined information on
51,000 men enrolled in the Health
Professionals Follow Up Study and
122,000 women enrolled in the Nurses'
Health Study.
The men completed questionnaires about
their health-related quality of life,
including physical functioning,
limitations due to physical and
emotional problems, mental health issues
and pain. The women answered questions
about their physical functioning.
Researchers identified 454 men and 414
women with Parkinson's disease. Until
about 7.5 years before diagnosis,
physical function for both men and women
was similar to that of men and women who
were not later diagnosed with
Parkinson's.
From this point on, however, women with
the disease began to experience a
decline in their physical function,
while men's decline in physical function
and well-being began around three years
prior to diagnosis.
"We observed a decline in physical
function in [Parkinson's disease]
patients relative to their healthy
counterparts beginning three years prior
to diagnosis in men and seven and a half
years prior to diagnosis in women,"
study lead investigator Natalia
Palacios, of Harvard School of Public
Health, said in a journal news release.
"The decline continues at a rate that is
five to seven times faster than the
average yearly decline caused by normal
aging in individuals without the
disease."
Researchers said the study suggests that
the Parkinson's disease process may
start years before symptoms become
obvious.
"This result provides support to the
notion that the pathological process
leading to PD [Parkinson's disease] may
start several years before PD
diagnosis," Palacios concluded. "Our
hope is that, with future research,
biological markers of the disease
process may be recognizable in this
preclinical phase."
More
information
The U.S. National Institute on
Neurological Disorders and Stroke
provides more information on Parkinson's
disease.
