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Study statins can promote the development of Parkinson's
Parkinson's disease is a worldwide neurodegenerative disease. Researchers have now found that statins used to treat high cholesterol can accelerate the onset of Parkinson's disease.
The Penn State College of Medicine researchers found that taking statins in humans accelerates the development of Parkinson's. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Movement Disorders".
Many people today use so-called statins to treat high cholesterol levels. Researchers now found that taking statins increases the risk of Parkinson's disease. (Image: roger ashford / fotolia.com) People with an increased risk of Parkinson's should not take any statins
When people are prone to developing Parkinson's disease, they should never take statins, for example, to treat high cholesterol levels. Intake accelerates the onset of the disease in such individuals, say the authors of the study.
Results contradict other studies
The results of the current study contradict another study that reported that discontinuation of statins increases the risk of accelerated development of Parkinson's. This has been interpreted as evidence that statins protect against Parkinson's disease, the researchers say.
There are two different types of statins
However, data from the current study suggest a completely different explanation, according to author Professor Xuemei Huang of the Penn State College of Medicine in the United States. The use of statins can lead to new symptoms of Parkinson's, which is why patients then stop using statins. Another reason for the inconsistent results is that there are two different types of statins. There are so-called water-soluble statins that can not get into the human brain, and fat-soluble statins that are able to penetrate the brain, adds Professor Huang.
What are the core symptoms of Parkinson's??
Parkinson's disease (Parkinson's disease) is often referred to as shaking disease. In Parkinson's, the dopamine-producing nerve cells die in the midbrain structure. This then leads to the typical movement disorders, explain the experts. There are several key symptoms of the disease. These include, for example, muscle stiffness, tremor (muscle tremors), postural instability and slowed movements.
Physicians analyze the data of more than 50 million people for their study
People with high cholesterol levels are generally treated with both types of statins. Thus, the interpretation of the results and the possible effects on Parkinson's disease is extremely difficult, the scientists explain. For their investigation, the researchers analyzed the data from a database of insurance claims of more than 50 million people. They identified nearly 22,000 people with Parkinson's disease. This figure was reduced to 2,322 patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease for the study. The data of the participants were then compared with the data of people without Parkinson's disease in a control group, explain the physicians. Thus, the experts were able to determine which patients had taken statins and how long it took until the first Parkinson disease symptoms appeared.
Result of the study: Statins clearly increase the risk for Parkinson's
A previous use of statins could clearly be associated with a higher risk for Parkinson's disease, explain the experts from the United States. The use of statins has been associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson's, not with lower risk, the authors emphasize. The increased risk is particularly high in so-called lipophilic statins. This finding contradicts the hypothesis that statins protect human nerve cells, says Professor Huang. (As)