Depression Tied to Some Risk of Parkinson's Disease
Depression Tied to Some Risk of Parkinson's Disease
Swedish study finds association, but overall risk is low -- only about 1 percent
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- People with a history of depression seem to have a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a large new study reports, adding to the growing body of research linking the two conditions.
The Swedish study found that people diagnosed with depression were more than three times as likely as people without a history of the mood disorder to develop Parkinson's disease within the first year of depression.
"There's substantial evidence of an association with depression in the last years before a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease," said study author Peter Nordstrom, professor and chief physician in the department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation at Umea University in Sweden.
But Parkinson's experts warned that the study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between depression and Parkinson's. And they noted that the overall risk for developing Parkinson's was still low, even with a history of depression.
The research is published online May 20 in the journal Neurology.
Major depression affects nearly 7 percent of Americans over age 18 in any given year, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. The mood disorder includes symptoms such as prolonged sadness, apathy, appetite changes, sleep problems and irritability.
About 1 million people in the United States suffer from Parkinson's disease. Another 50,000 to 60,000 are diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder each year, according to the National Parkinson Foundation. Symptoms of the disease include shaking, tremor, slowness of movement, stiffness and trouble with balance.
For the study, Nordstrom and his colleagues looked at more than half a million Swedish people who were 50 or older. About 140,000 had a history of depression, while around 421,000 similar participants had not been diagnosed with depression.
The researchers followed the participants for as long as 26 years. The average follow-up time was seven years, according to the study.
The study revealed that 1.1 percent of those with depression eventually developed Parkinson's. Just 0.4 percent of those without a history of depression later developed Parkinson's.
Depression Tied to Some Risk of Parkinson's
Swedish study finds association, but overall risk is low -- only about 1 percent
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- People with a history of depression seem to have a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a large new study reports, adding to the growing body of research linking the two conditions.
The Swedish study found that people diagnosed with depression were more than three times as likely as people without a history of the mood disorder to develop Parkinson's disease within the first year of depression.
"There's substantial evidence of an association with depression in the last years before a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease," said study author Peter Nordstrom, professor and chief physician in the department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation at Umea University in Sweden.
But Parkinson's experts warned that the study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between depression and Parkinson's. And they noted that the overall risk for developing Parkinson's was still low, even with a history of depression.
The research is published online May 20 in the journal Neurology.
Major depression affects nearly 7 percent of Americans over age 18 in any given year, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. The mood disorder includes symptoms such as prolonged sadness, apathy, appetite changes, sleep problems and irritability.
About 1 million people in the United States suffer from Parkinson's disease. Another 50,000 to 60,000 are diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder each year, according to the National Parkinson Foundation. Symptoms of the disease include shaking, tremor, slowness of movement, stiffness and trouble with balance.
For the study, Nordstrom and his colleagues looked at more than half a million Swedish people who were 50 or older. About 140,000 had a history of depression, while around 421,000 similar participants had not been diagnosed with depression.
The researchers followed the participants for as long as 26 years. The average follow-up time was seven years, according to the study.
The study revealed that 1.1 percent of those with depression eventually developed Parkinson's. Just 0.4 percent of those without a history of depression later developed Parkinson's.
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