Common Anti-Inflammatory Therapy May Reduce Parkinson’s Risk

[Andy]

A recent study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai provides new insights into a link between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Parkinson’s disease, and may have significant implications for the treatment and prevention of Parkinson’s disease.

The recent study, published in JAMA Neurology, shows that individuals with IBD are at a 28% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than those without IBD. However, if they are treated with anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (anti-TNFα) therapy, a monoclonal antibody that is commonly used to control inflammation in IBD patients, then their risk of developing Parkinson’s disease goes down significantly, and becomes even lower than that in the general population.

These new insights will allow for better screening of IBD patients for Parkinson’s disease, given that IBD onset usually precedes that of Parkinson’s disease by decades, and they also offer evidence to support exploring anti-TNFα therapy to prevent Parkinson’s disease in at-risk individuals.

http://neurosciencenews.com/parkinsons-anti-inflammatory-8873/

 

[Joel]

http://neurosciencenews.com/parkinsons-anti-inflammatory-8873/

My TNF-a was very high when I saw KDM years ago. That was before I had IBD. It was still high once I developed IBD. I take mesalazine for the IBD which may act on TNF-a. If my IBD got out of control I could end up on a monoclonal antibody for it but I haven't yet got bad enough. I suspect TNF-a is a problem for me still though. This study looks interesting. My local inflammation in my gut has a tremendous systemic impact so I'm not at all surprised by the idea it could increase the risk of Parkinsons or other such diseases.