[paula_w]

Serum Uric Acid and Parkinson's Disease
Robert W. Griffith, MD
Here's another 're-discovery'. In 1996 Honolulu scientists reported that, in a population of 8000 men, those with above average serum uric acid levels had a 40% reduction in their likelihood of later contracting Parkinson's disease. This was reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology . The scientists suggested that the antioxidant properties of uric acid might protect against oxidative damage and nerve cell death in Parkinson 's. And they advised further research.
Eleven years later (last June, in fact) the same journal reported data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which comprised 18,000 men screened in1993-1995 and followed until 2000. 84 cases of Parkinson's disease were matched with two controls by age, race, and time of blood collection. Then the participants were divided into quarters (quartiles) based on their serum uric acid. After corrections for age, smoking, and caffeine, those in the highest quartile were found to have a 55% lower likelihood of developing the disease than those in the lowest quartile. The principal investigator stated ""the data are very compelling, and if they are confirmed, urate could become the first biomarker of Parkinson's disease". Do we really need another study (in ten years' time!) to re-discover this relationship?
Source
HealthandAge Blog

[ol'cs]

I've had a very high uric acid pretty near all my life (first test was 14mg/dL, at aound 20 years of age). I have had attacks of the "gout" so often that attacks were at least once a week, and predictable after eating a dinner containing meat. After having a bad interaction with allopurinol, I started taking it again and to my amazement, i can tolerate it now and it now makes me able to eat a steak with impunity, knowing that i will not be awakened with gout pain in the middle of the night. What a relief.
So, this is the exact opposite suggestion of this study. It makes me question the results. Now i know that i'm only one person, but it gets me thinking, what do we need research of this kind for? We need research DIRECTLY related to finding a cure for PD, not to seek what i consider "moot" results of such a study as this. Would'nt you agree? This study does nothing to help the direct cure of PD. What we need to hear are things that directly pertain to, say, stem cell transplants in parkinsonized primates, or growth hormone effects in new studies, new types of brain penetrable growth hormone mimetics that actually WORK to increase dopamine levels in humans. I've never heard of cadaver transplant of nigral tissue in humans, has this ever been tried? It is the kind of studies of the paper that you have brought to our attention that i call "junk science" that does nothing to shorten the time between when you and I can have a REAL attenuation in our suffering from PD. Remember, I'm not in any way saying that you should not have brought this to our attention, I'm just giving my humble opinion about such studies, K?

[paula_w]

oh i would not vote to renew that study!

Can you describe what you are calling gout? I've had stomach problems forever it seems...lots of right side pain after eating fats, oils,a few times sending me to the ER wondering if it was something more acute like pancreatitis. These digestive difficulties go so far back....to my late teens.

paula

.

[made it up]

Hi Paula,
Perhaps cholycystitis aka inflamed gall bladder?
When I was a student nurse a surgeon giving us a lecture on cholycystitis and said a lot of patients with this come under the category of being at least forty, female, fair, fat and flatulent.
While I'm not suggesting you fall into any of these categories it might be worth noting!
Seriously though the poor tolerance to a fatty diet can be common with an inflamed gall bladder too.
Regards,
Lee

[paula_w]

I have to avoid fried foods to this day. I wonder if it was part of PD sloshin around too slowly in the gut. I wasn't fat, had trouble way before 40.

Who knows what we are putting in us now when we eat? We spend a century trying to clean it up but now global standards are not synchronized....no one is responsible for it? Lead paint in toys, animals killed.....do we have to go food shopping in these countries?

paula

[KC Tower]

Originally Posted by paula_w

I've had stomach problems forever it seems...lots of right side pain after eating fats, oils,a few times sending me to the ER wondering if it was something more acute like pancreatitis. These digestive difficulties go so far back....to my late teens.

paula

.

Paula, for years Ive had a number of similar symptoms that would appear anywhere from a few days to weeks apart.

Severe stomach pain - felt like gas but unresponsive goes away suddenly after 5 - 30 minutes.

Queasy stomach leading to violent attempts to vomit - goes away after just a teaspoon of contents released usually at night.

After having had these attacks for years with no diagnosis or satisfactory treatment I had an attack of right side stomach pain that was orders of magnitude worse than any I had ever had and lasting a long weekend. After 2 days at emergency with no relief one doctor finally got it right.

As Lee suggested ---------- GALLBLADDER -------. Turns out I had gallstones and subsequent infection and was treated with muscle relaxent and antibiotics without surgery as it was a first attack.

Result - no pains and stomach upsets for 2 years now.

take care ,,, ken

[paula_w]

Your post is a coincidence! I just got back from the gastroenterologist today and have to have stomach scoped on Tuesday morning. He's looking for possible yeast, hpylori, swallowing difficulties, or worst case scenario - gastric cancer....I have steady sensations of stomach ache, acidity [need to eat], then choke on food [can't swallow], resulting in just quitting the meal and much weight loss [lower than ever], and looking like I could very well have cancer. Then again, PD and acid reflux can cause all of that.

I'm glad yours was resolved. Your posting today - well I'll just say it resembles encouragement of a 'spiritual' nature, someone is using you, and leave it at that. Hope that doesn't offend.

paula

Originally Posted by KC Tower

Paula, for years Ive had a number of similar symptoms that would appear anywhere from a few days to weeks apart.

Severe stomach pain - felt like gas but unresponsive goes away suddenly after 5 - 30 minutes.

Queasy stomach leading to violent attempts to vomit - goes away after just a teaspoon of contents released usually at night.

After having had these attacks for years with no diagnosis or satisfactory treatment I had an attack of right side stomach pain that was orders of magnitude worse than any I had ever had and lasting a long weekend. After 2 days at emergency with no relief one doctor finally got it right.

As Lee suggested ---------- GALLBLADDER -------. Turns out I had gallstones and subsequent infection and was treated with muscle relaxent and antibiotics without surgery as it was a first attack.

Result - no pains and stomach upsets for 2 years now.

take care ,,, ken