Scientists from the University of Eastern Finland found that two rheumatoid arthritis drugs show potential for lowering the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Previous studies have linked rheumatoid arthritis with Parkinson’s. But they have yielded conflicting findings, with rheumatoid arthritis being associated with either a lower or higher risk of Parkinson’s.
Some previous studies have found that people with rheumatoid arthritis have a lower risk of Parkinson’s.
It was suggested that a class of rheumatoid arthritis drugs called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) may play a role in that reduced risk.
In the study, researchers analyzed data from thousands of patients in Finland.
They found the use of most DMARDs—including methotrexate, sulfasalazine, gold preparations, or immunosuppressants—at least three years before Parkinson’s disease diagnosis was not associated with the risk of the disease in those with rheumatoid arthritis.
However, the researchers did find those rheumatoid arthritis patients who took the DMARDs chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine had a 26% lower risk of Parkinson’s disease.
They say both of these drugs affect the immune system and have been shown to have anti-Parkinson’s potential in animal studies. But results of animal studies are often different from those of humans.
The team called for further investigation of the drugs’ possible protective effects against Parkinson’s.
The risk factors for Parkinson’s disease are unclear, the study researchers noted in a journal news release.
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The research was published in the journal Neurology and conducted by Anne Paakinaho et al.
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