New research brings some good news for people with Parkinson’s disease: the risk of developing dementia may be lower than previously thought, or dementia may occur later in the course of the disease than earlier reports suggested.
This study, published in the August 7, 2024, issue of Neurology, offers more hopeful estimates for those living with Parkinson’s.
Dr. Daniel Weintraub from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the study’s lead author, noted, “The development of dementia is a major concern for people with Parkinson’s.
The combination of movement and cognitive disorders can be devastating for patients and their families. Our findings suggest a longer window of opportunity to intervene and potentially prevent or delay cognitive decline.”
Earlier studies indicated that about 80% of people with Parkinson’s would develop dementia within 15 to 20 years of diagnosis. However, these studies were conducted many years ago, had smaller sample sizes, and other limitations, prompting the need for a re-evaluation.
For this updated study, researchers analyzed data from two large, prospective studies. The first was an international study involving 417 participants with an average age of 62 who were newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s and had not yet received treatment.
The second study, conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, involved 389 participants with an average age of 69 who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s an average of six years before the study began. Both groups were followed over time to monitor the development of dementia.
The international study found that the estimated probability of being diagnosed with dementia 10 years after a Parkinson’s diagnosis was 9%. In the Pennsylvania study, this probability was 27% after 10 years. The risk increased to 50% after 15 years and 74% after 20 years in the Pennsylvania study.
Several factors were found to increase the risk of developing dementia in the Pennsylvania study, including being older at the time of Parkinson’s diagnosis, being male, and having a lower level of education.
However, both studies had some limitations. The participants were predominantly well-educated, mainly white, and were specifically recruited for research purposes, which means they may not fully represent the general population.
Overall, these findings provide a more optimistic outlook for people with Parkinson’s disease regarding their long-term risk of developing dementia.
They highlight the importance of early detection and intervention strategies that could potentially delay or prevent cognitive decline, improving the quality of life for those affected by Parkinson’s.
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.
The research findings can be found in Neurology.
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