Gout Linked to Lower Parkinson's Disease Risk

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Nov 08 - The results of a new study suggest there is an association between gout and a lower risk of Parkinson's disease, which provides support for a relationship between Parkinson's disease and uric acid.

Several previous studies have reported a converse correlation between serum uric acid and Parkinson's disease, Dr. Alvaro Alonso, of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and colleagues report in the October 23rd issue of Neurology. \"None of these studies, however, evaluated the potential association between gout, a condition characterized by hyperuricemia, and the risk of Parkinson's disease.\"

Using the General Practice Research Database (GPRD), which contains data for more than 3 million Britons, the researchers prospectively examined gout diagnoses and the use of anti-gout medications. They identified 1,052 Parkinson's disease cases and matched them with 6,634 controls.

Subjects with a previous diagnosis of gout had a lower risk of subsequent development of Parkinson's disease (odds ratio, 0.69), the researchers found. Compared with subjects without a history of gout, the odds ratio of Parkinson's disease was 0.61 for those who were taking anti-gout medications and 0.75 for untreated gout.

The association between gout and lower Parkinson's disease risk was observed among men, nonsmokers, and older subjects at least 60 years of age. The association was not seen among women, smokers, or those younger than 60 years of age.

Dr. Alonso and colleagues note that different biologic mechanisms can explain the association between gout, hyperuricemia, and lower risk of Parkinson's disease.

\"Uric acid has shown beneficial effects in animal models of neurologic disorders, including multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury,\" they explain.

\"The observed protection seems to be mediated through inhibition of peroxynitrite-mediated neurotoxicity, a mechanism also involved in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis. Similarly, uric acid has been shown to reduce oxidative damage by free radicals in DNA molecules.\"

Neurology 2007;69:1696-1700.