New early signs of Parkinson's uncovered in diverse study
Date:
March 7, 2022
Source:
Queen Mary University of London
Summary:
Hearing loss and epilepsy are early features of Parkinson's,
according to pioneering new research.
FULL STORY ========================================================================== Hearing loss and epilepsy are early features of Parkinson's, according
to pioneering new research from Queen Mary University of London -- the
first UK study of the condition in such a diverse population, published
today (7 March 2022) in JAMA Neurology.
========================================================================== Queen Mary researchers funded by Bart's Charity used electronic primary healthcare records from over a million people living in East London
between 1990 and 2018 to explore early symptoms and risk factors for Parkinson's.
The researchers found that known symptoms associated with Parkinson's, including tremor and memory problems, can appear up to ten and five
years before diagnosis respectively. They also uncovered two new early
features of Parkinson's, epilepsy and hearing loss, and were able to
replicate these findings using additional data from the UK Biobank.
Whilst early signs of Parkinson's have been described previously,
these studies have largely focused on affluent white populations, with
patients from minority ethnic groups and those living in areas of high
social deprivation largely under-represented in Parkinson's research to
date. The new study provides further evidence of risk factors and early
signs of Parkinson's, using data from such a diverse and deprived urban population for the first time.
In East London, conditions like hypertension and Type 2 diabetes were associated with increased odds of developing Parkinson's. The researchers
also observed a stronger association between memory complaints within
this population than previously described.
East London has one of the highest proportions of Black, South Asian and
mixed/ other ethnic groups, which comprise around 45% of residents in
the area, in comparison to 14% in the rest of the UK. It also has some
of the highest levels of deprivation in the UK, and 80% of patients
included in the study were from low-income households.
==========================================================================
Lead study author Dr Cristina Simonet, neurologist and PhD student at
Queen Mary University of London, commented: "This is the first study
focusing on the pre-diagnostic phase of Parkinson's in such a diverse population with high socioeconomic deprivation but universal access
to health care. People from minority ethnic groups and deprived areas
have largely been under-represented in Parkinson's research up till now,
but to allow us to get a full picture of the condition we need to ensure research is inclusive and represents all those affected.
"Our results uncovered novel risk factors and early symptoms: epilepsy and hearing loss. Whilst previous research has hinted at the association,
such as epilepsy being more prevalent in Parkinson's patients than
in the general population, more research is now needed for us to fully understand the relationship. In the meantime, it's important that primary
care practitioners are aware of these links and understand how early the symptoms of Parkinson's can appear, so that patients can get a timely
diagnosis and doctors can act early to help manage the condition."
Dr Alastair Noyce, reader in neurology and neuroepidemiology at Queen
Mary University of London, who is also an author on the new research, continued: "People see their GPs with symptoms but often don't get a
diagnosis until five to ten years after this. Tremor, for example, is
one of the most recognisable symptoms of Parkinson's -- but was seen
ten years before eventual diagnosis in our study. This is too long
for patients to wait. If we're able to diagnose Parkinson's earlier,
we have a real opportunity to intervene early and offer treatments that
could improve quality of life for patients.
"This study confirms that many of the symptoms and early features of Parkinson's can occur long before a diagnosis. Through our ongoing
PREDICT-PD research, we're hoping to identify people at high risk of Parkinson's even before obvious symptoms appear -- which means that we
could do more than just improve quality of life for patients, and perhaps
be in the position to slow down or cure Parkinson's in the future."
PREDICT-PD is a large research project funded by Parkinson's UK that
aims to identify people at high risk of developing the condition. The researchers are looking for 10,000 people aged 60-80 years from all
backgrounds who do not have Parkinson's, to take part in a simple set
of online tests that screen for factors linked to increased risk of
the condition.
Shafaq Hussain-Ali, a former native East Londoner of Pakistani Punjabi
descent who was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's three years ago
and is a member of Parkinson's UK Race Equality Steering Group, said: "Parkinson's affects everyone, regardless of race or social background,
but research has often failed to represent the diversity of the
community. This research and the work that Parkinson's UK is leading
helps address the many unknowns regarding how the condition affects
people from under-represented groups. It means that life- changing new treatments can be developed that will benefit everyone with the condition.
"I want to get the message out that young Asian people like myself
can be affected by this condition, and that more people are likely to
be affected by young onset Parkinson's in the future. Getting an early diagnosis can make such a difference to quality of life and Parkinson's progression. With appropriate management, you can carry on living well
and have a productive life. I am still a practicing dentist, who enjoys swimming, walking and Kung Fu. I also still love doing my crochet!"
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Queen_Mary_University_of_London. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Cristina Simonet, Jonathan Bestwick, Mark Jitlal, Sheena Waters,
Aaron
Ben-Joseph, Charles R. Marshall, Ruth Dobson, Soha Marrium,
John Robson, Benjamin M. Jacobs, Daniel Belete, Andrew
J. Lees, Gavin Giovannoni, Jack Cuzick, Anette Schrag, Alastair
J. Noyce. Assessment of Risk Factors and Early Presentations of
Parkinson Disease in Primary Care in a Diverse UK Population. JAMA
Neurology, 2022; DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.0003 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220307113012.htm
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