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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 02 - The risk of Parkinson's disease is significantly decreased among people with high serum levels of uric acid, perhaps related to its antioxidant properties, according to findings published in the November issue of the Annals of Neurology. "The exact cause of the selective dopaminergic cell death that underlies Parkinson's disease (PD) is still unknown, but oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are generally thought to play a predominant role," Dr. Monique M. B. Breteler and colleagues from Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, write. "Uric acid is an important natural antioxidant that may reduce oxidative stress through its actions as a scavenger of free radicals and iron chelator." The researchers examined concentrations of uric acid in relation to PD risk in 4695 subjects at least 55 years of age enrolled in the prospective population-based Rotterdam Study. The subjects were followed for an average of 9.4 years. A total of 68 new cases of PD were detected during follow-up. Results of multivariate-adjusted analyses demonstrated an association between higher serum levels of uric acid and a significantly decreased risk of PD (adjusted hazard ratio per standard deviation increase = 0.71). There was evidence of a dose-effect relationship (adjusted hazard ratio for highest versus lowest quartile 0.42, p value for trend over quartiles 0.040). No significant differences were observed between men and women or between smokers and non-smokers. Excluding the 25 participants who used anti-gout preparations at baseline did not change the results. "Because oxidative stress is thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of PD, uric acid might exert protective effects against PD through its antioxidant capacities," Dr. Breteler's team explains. "Furthermore, uric acid has a strong ability to bind iron, which may contribute to oxidative damage in PD by enhancing generation of reactive oxygen species." Ann Neurol 2005;58:797-800. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn