Good news for people with Parkinson’s disease: a new study suggests that the risk of developing dementia may be lower than previously believed, or it may occur later in the disease’s progression.
These findings were published in Neurology.
Dr. Daniel Weintraub from the University of Pennsylvania, the study’s lead author, highlighted the importance of these findings.
“The development of dementia is feared by people with Parkinson’s, and the combination of both a movement disorder and a cognitive disorder can be devastating to them and their loved ones,” he said.
“These results provide more hopeful estimates of the long-term risk of dementia for people with Parkinson’s disease, suggesting that there is a longer window to intervene to prevent or delay cognitive decline.”
Earlier studies indicated that about 80% of people with Parkinson’s would develop dementia within 15-20 years of their diagnosis.
However, these studies had limitations, such as small sample sizes and being conducted many years ago.
Dr. Weintraub and his team wanted to re-evaluate these findings with more recent and comprehensive data.
The researchers analyzed data from two large, prospective studies:
- International Study: This involved 417 participants with an average age of 62, who were newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s and had not yet received treatment.
- University of Pennsylvania Study: This involved 389 participants with an average age of 69, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s an average of six years prior to the study.
The participants were followed to monitor the development of dementia.
The international study showed that the probability of being diagnosed with dementia 10 years after a Parkinson’s diagnosis was 9%. In the Pennsylvania study, the probability was 27% after 10 years. The risk of dementia was estimated at 50% after 15 years and 74% after 20 years for participants in the Pennsylvania study.
The Pennsylvania study identified several factors that increased the risk of dementia, including being older at the time of Parkinson’s diagnosis, being male, and having a lower level of education.
However, both studies had limitations. The participants were mostly highly educated, white individuals who volunteered for the research, so they might not represent the general population.
These new findings offer hope for people with Parkinson’s and their families. While the risk of dementia remains a concern, the possibility that it may develop later or be less common than previously thought provides a window of opportunity for interventions to prevent or delay cognitive decline.
This research underscores the importance of continuing to study Parkinson’s disease and its effects on the brain to improve the lives of those affected.
If you care about dementia, please read studies that eating apples and tea could keep dementia at bay, and Olive oil: a daily dose for better brain health.
For more health information, please see recent studies what you eat together may affect your dementia risk, and time-restricted eating: a simple way to fight aging and cancer.
