According to a new study from Queen Mary University of London, Parkinson’s disease may be more likely in people with type 2 diabetes and it can progress faster in these patients too. Diabetes treatment could lower the risk of degenerative disease, the researchers said.
Investigators performed a review and meta-analysis of observational studies from six databases. Results from studies of the highest quality showed a causal link between the genetic heritability of type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. There was also an association with faster onset of motor symptoms, though not with faster progression of cognitive decline, reported first author Alastair J. Noyce, MRCP, Ph.D., and colleagues.
Previous reviews and meta-analyzes have led to conflicting conclusions about the link between the two diseases, but the study team said their results are compelling.
“This study brings together the results of many other studies to provide compelling evidence that type 2 diabetes likely affects not only Parkinson’s risk but also the progression of Parkinson’s,” Noyce said.
Screening for and early treatment of type 2 diabetes in Parkinson’s patients may be advisable, he added. “There are many treatment strategies for type 2 diabetes, including prevention strategies, that can be used to treat Parkinson’s,” he concluded.
The full results have been published in the journal Movement Disorders.
