Development of Parkinson’s disease in patients with Narcolepsy

Abstract

Although amphetamine drugs can damage dopaminergic axons, it is unknown whether chronic treatment with amphetamine increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). Of 1,152 consecutive PD patients, 3 had a prior diagnosis of narcolepsy. This rate is five times higher than expected (p = 0.02). These patients had typical onset of narcolepsy and underwent treatment with amphetamine. Although preliminary, this observation raises the possibility that some factors intrinsic to narcolepsy or its treatment may be a risk factor for PD.