To the Listmembers,
An item of interest --
===================
Estrogen Slows
Parkinson's In Women
April 30, 1998
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Estrogen
supplements may slow illness in women
suffering from early-stage Parkinson's disease,
according to a new study.
"Taking estrogen did not stop or reverse the
disease," said study co-author Dr. Rachel
Saunders-Pullman, of Beth Israel Medical
Center and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical
Center in New York City. "However, women
who at some point had received hormone
replacement therapy demonstrated less
disease progression over time than those who
had not taken estrogen."
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative
neurological disorder characterized by tremor,
a loss of facial expression and gradual losses
in motor control. Experts estimate that the
disease affects about 1 in every 200
Americans. Treatments that enhance the
supply of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the
brain can slow or even reverse Parkinson's
symptoms.
Saunders-Pullman and her colleagues
followed the 2-year disease progression of
171 postmenopausal women who were
suffering from early-stage Parkinson's disease
and had not yet taken dopamine-enhancing
medication. Forty-two of the women had
taken hormone replacement therapies (HRT)
at some point in their lives, while the remaining
129 women had never taken estrogen
supplements.
The study authors found that women with a
history of HRT showed better functional
ability and slowed disease progression
compared with women without such histories.
"This was reflected in being better able to
function within daily living activities, such as
dressing and walking, as well as in formal
neurologic measurements for stiffness and
slowness of movements," Saunders- Pullman
explained.
These results mirrored those of another recent
study of 167 female Parkinson's patients
conducted by researchers at Columbia
University in New York, and published in the
April issue of the journal Neurology. Those
investigators concluded that HRT "did not
affect the risk of (Parkinson's disease) but
may have been associated with a lower risk of
dementia" in women suffering from the illness.
Saunders-Pullman believes further studies will
clarify the relationship between estrogen and
the neurological processes underlying
Parkinson's. And she says future research
efforts should focus on the effects of HRT on
patients with more advanced illness, and those
already enrolled on dopamine-enhancing
therapies. In the meantime, she and her
colleagues believe that HRT "should not be
avoided" as a method of treatment for women
in the early-stages of Parkinson's disease.
Saunders-Pullman presented the study findings
at the annual meeting of the American
Academy of Neurology, held this week in
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights
reserved. Republication or redistribution of
Reuters content is expressly prohibited
without the prior written consent of
Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any
errors or delays in the content, or for any
actions taken in reliance thereon.
==========================
--
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD
"Nutrition you can live with!"
Medical nutrition therapy
http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/
Tel: 970-493-6532 // Fax: 970-493-6538
