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Antidepressants increase risk of Parkinson's disease Posted : Sat, 28 Apr 2007 17:56:01GMT A new study says that depression could be one of the earliest signs that a patient might suffer from Parkinson's disease in future. The study examined if people taking anti-depressant medications were more likely to suffer from Parkinson's disease than people who were not on the medications. The study found that people who were taking antidepressants one year before they were diagnosed with Parkinson's were twice at risk for developing the condition as compared to those who were not taking the drugs. The researchers analyzed a database involving over three million people in the UK and identified 1,052 people with Parkinson's disease. These people were compared with 6,634 people not having the disease. The researchers also examined the antidepressant use among the Parkinson's patients. The risk of Parkinson's in patients taking antidepressants was equal in both men and women irrespective of their age. "This should not be interpreted as evidence that antidepressants cause Parkinson's disease," said Miguel Hernan of the Harvard School of Public Health. "The relationship is only apparent in the year before the onset of the disease, which suggests that depression is an early symptom of the disease." The findings of the study were detailed at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn