Relatives of Parkinson’s disease patients more likely for dementia

William Atkins
Tuesday, 09 October 2007 07:01

Science - Health

According to research published in ‘Archives of Neurology,’ relatives of patients with Parkinson’s disease are more at risk of declining function of the central nervous system such as dementia.          

Walter A. Rocca, of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (Rochester, Minnesota) and fellow colleagues studied 1,016 first-degree relatives (FDR), that is, parents, siblings, or children, of 162 patients of Parkinson’s disease. They also studied 858 relatives of 147 people who were of the same age and gender of those Parkinson’s disease patients and 2,716 relatives of 411 patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Rocca and his team's results show that relatives of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) may have an increased risk of developing dementia or cognitive impairment. They conclude, “Cognitive impairment or dementia may share familial susceptibility factors with PD (genetic or nongenetic).”

The Rocca team’s article is entitled “Risk of Cognitive Impairment or Dementia in Relatives of Patients With Parkinson Disease.” The other collaborators are James H. Bower; J. Eric Ahlskog; Alexis Elbaz; Brandon R. Grossardt; Shannon K. McDonnell; Daniel J. Schaid; and Demetrius M. Maraganore.