Anti-inflammatories may reduce risk of Parkinson's disease
29 August 2003
Preliminary research suggests that NSAIDs may protect against the development of Parkinson's disease.
(NSAIDs are a large group of medications commonly used to treat painful conditions such as arthritis. Examples of NSAIDs include ibuprofen, piroxicam and aspirin. They work by blocking the production of prostaglandins, natural body chemicals involved in inflammation, i.e. symptoms such as pain, redness, swelling and heat.)
When the researchers combined data from the Nurses Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (more than 140,000 participants), they that found regular users of non-aspirin NSAIDs had a 45 per cent lower risk of Parkinson's disease than non-regular users (Archives of Neurology 2003; 60: 1059-64).
The risk of developing Parkinson's disease tended to decrease with increasing duration of regular use of non-aspirin NSAIDs.
The finding was in line with studies suggesting that inflammation was involved in the development of Parkinson's disease, the authors said.
Last Reviewed: 29 August 2003
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 29/8/03
