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Depression linked to Parkinson's disease (Monday, 14th April 2003) Depression may be a predictor of Parkinson's (REF: Movement Disorders) There is a high incidence of depression among patients who go on to be diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD), according to Dutch researchers. The authors believe that this finding supports the hypothesis that there is a biological risk factor for depression among these patients. It is estimated that between 3 and 8% of PD patients in the community suffer from depression. In order to determine whether a pathophysiological relationship exists between the two disorders, Dr Albert Leentjens and colleagues, from Maastricht University, conducted an epidemiological study of the incidence of depression preceding the diagnosis of PD. The researchers analysed data from an ongoing general practice-based register of more than 100,000 people. The lifetime incidence of depressive disorder in patients later diagnosed with PD was compared with that of a matched control population from the same register. The study showed: At the time of diagnosis, 9.2% of patients with PD had a history of depression, compared with 4% of controls The odds ratio for a history of depression in patients with PD compared with control subjects was 2.4 Because patients are not aware of their future diagnosis of PD, the investigators were able to rule out psychological stress or disability as a cause of the depression. 'The only plausible explanation for this finding is the presence of a biological risk factor for depression in patients who will be diagnosed with PD in the future,' write the researchers. They add that practitioners should be aware of the possibility that, in some cases, depression may be a predictor of later PD, especially if parkinsonian signs emerge during treatment for depression with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. REF: Leentjens A et al. Higher incidence of depression preceding the onset of Parkinson's disease: a register study. Movement Disorders 2003; 18: 414-8 Movement Disorders website http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0885-3185/ http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jtoc?ID=76507419 Clinnix is not responsible for the accuracy or availability of information on external websites. Additional search terms: neurology SOURCE: ClinnixPro http://www.clinnixpro.net/news/article.php?id=1928 * * * Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]> Parkinson's Resources on the WWWeb http://www.geocities.com/murraycharters/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn