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Parkinson's disease can cause low blood pressure NEW YORK, Apr 23 (Reuters Health) - While Parkinson's disease is known to cause nerve damage in part of the brain, and possibly the heart, new research suggests that it also causes many patients to experience a drop in blood pressure when they stand up suddenly, a condition called orthostatic hypotension. Previously, doctors had believed the Parkinson's drug levodopa was behind this blood pressure abnormality. However, new study findings, published in the April 23rd issue of the journal Neurology, suggest that Parkinson's itself may be responsible for nerve damage that leads to the condition. Researchers led by Dr. David S. Goldstein of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland, found that there was loss of sympathetic nerves in patients with Parkinson's disease. The sympathetic nervous system is one of the main systems for regulation of "automatic" body functions, such as blood pressure during exercise and temperature during exposure to cold, Goldstein noted in an interview with Reuters Health. "An intact sympathetic nervous system is absolutely required for an individual to tolerate simply standing up," he explained. "The finding of evidence for loss of sympathetic nerves in patients with Parkinson's disease with orthostatic hypotension therefore indicates that orthostatic hypotension is part of the disease, rather than simply a side effect of treatment." In a study of 41 Parkinson's disease patients - 18 of whom also had orthostatic hypotension - the researchers found most Parkinson's patients have some sympathetic nerve loss. In those patients who also showed symptoms of orthostatic hypotension, the loss of the sympathetic nervous system was more widespread, the investigators note. The findings are important because they provide further evidence that Parkinson's is not just a movement disorder but also a condition where altered function of the "automatic" nervous system adversely affects health, Goldstein pointed out. "If one were to discover the cause or causes of sympathetic (nerve damage) in Parkinson's disease, one (might) discover the cause of the entire disease," Goldstein told Reuters Health. Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive condition that strikes the motor system, gradually robbing patients of muscle control, balance and coordination. SOURCE: Neurology 2002;58:1247-1255. Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited. http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2002/04/23/eline/links/20020423elin012. html janet paterson: an akinetic rigid subtype, albeit perky, parky pd: 55/41/37 cd: 55/44/43 tel: 613 256 8340 email: [log in to unmask] smail: 375 Country Street, Almonte, Ontario, Canada, K0A 1A0 a new voice: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn