Drugs could reduce Parkinson’s risk

Taking a widely used group of blood pressure drugs could cut the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by 23 per cent say Swiss researchers.

Christoph Meier of Basel University and colleagues claim their research suggests that long-term exposure to so-called calcium channel blockers could be beneficial.

Their study, published in the journal Neurology, used data from a British medical database on more than five million people and involved 7,374 men and women over 40, half of whom had the incurable disease.

In both groups nearly half the people used blood pressure medications such as the calcium channel blockers as well as other well-established drugs used for treating the condition – all available as generics.

However, only the calcium channel compounds were determined to play any role with Parkinson’s.

The researchers admit they still need to determine why the pills appear to protect against the disease, whether the association is causal and why the other high blood pressure drugs do not offer the same protection.

Parkinson’s is a movement disorder caused by the destruction of certain brain cells. People often develop tremors first, but the disease can progress to paralysis and death. Around 15,000 people suffer from Parkinson’s in Switzerland.