Doctors Pre-Empt Study By Dismissing Link Between Parkinson's and Statins

Source: Herald, The; Glasgow (UK)
By DAMIEN HENDERSON
Posted on: Monday, 15 January 2007, 12:00 CST
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/...ource=r_health

WHILE scientists are preparing an in-depth study of the link between Parkinson's disease and statins, some eminent medics are pre- empting the results and have dismissed the suggestion.

Some three million Britons use statins, the cholesterollowering drug used to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Researchers in America are planning a large-scale clinical trial on the link after experts, led by Xuemei Huang from the University of North Carolina, said they had found the strongest link yet between Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and Parkinson's.

Experts sought to reassure patients over the safety of the drugs yesterday, insisting they saved lives and had not been shown to cause Parkinson's, which affects around 120,000 people in the UK.

The study in America of 124 patients revealed that those with low levels of LDL cholesterol were around three times as likely to develop Parkinson's disease as those with higher levels.

The cause of Parkinson's is unknown, but is thought to be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

DrXuemei Huang, who led the study, told Chemistry & Industry magazine: "I am very concerned, which is why I am planning a 16,000- patient prospective study to examine the possible role of statins, " she said.

Scotland, which has the highest death rate from coronary heart disease in the UK, is also believed to have a higher proportion of patients taking the drug, with the use of statins having doubled in the last five years.

Dr David Dexter, senior lecturer in neuropharmacology at Imperial College, London, said: "With the evidence we have at the moment, I would say there is not much cause for concern that statin use may cause Parkinson's disease.

"Indeed, previous studies have demonstrated that statins can increase brain dopamine concentration, the chemical transmitter deficient in Parkinson's."

Dr Kieran Breen, director of research and development at the Parkinson's Disease Society, said: "A study comparing such small numbers of people with Parkinson's and those without cannot establish low LDL cholesterol as a cause of Parkinson's. We should be wary of drawing any firm conclusions from this research."

Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said: "We are concerned that any suggestion of a link between statins and Parkinson's disease would unnecessarily scare the millions of people benefiting from statins in the UK."

He added that while there was no evidence to suggest that statins caused Parkinson's disease, there was overwhelming evidence they prevented heart attacks and strokes.

"Nobody should stop taking statins on the basis of this report. If they do, they will be putting themselves at increased risk, " he said.

Dr Patricia Limousin, consultant neurologist at University College London, said: "There is no evidence that statin drugs cause Parkinson's disease. In fact, these drugs were related to a lower occurrence of Parkinson's disease in Huang's study."