Parkinson's Disease Death Research Articles

Stroke, Dietary Fish, Milk, and Sugar Consumption Correlates of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Dementia

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To investigate the potentially confounding factors in the relationship between daily sugar intake versus Alzheimer & Parkinson's related death rates, including milk, meat, fish and alcohol consumption; obesity, stroke, hypertension, cancer and diabetes rates; tobacco use; and gross domestic purchasing power parity in different countries. <h3>Design</h3> The data were analyzed using SPSS (SPSS 25). Separate stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to sequentially identify the best set of significant predictors for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Predictor variables included in this analysis were annual estimates of: sugar, milk, meat, fish, and alcohol consumption; obesity, stroke, hypertension, cancer, and diabetes rates; tobacco use; and gross domestic product purchasing power parity (GDP-PPP) for 53 different countries. <h3>Setting</h3> Data from 53 countries was collected from on-line, publicly available Global Change Data Lab, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations (UN), and World Bank sources. <h3>Participants</h3> United States, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Australia, Belgium, United Kingdom, Mexico, Finland, Canada, Austria, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Denmark, Argentina, Czech Republic, Spain, France, Slovakia, Chile, Italy, Poland, Japan, Greece, Peru, Portugal, Hungary, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Bulgaria, Columbia, Turkey, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Romania, South Korea, Venezuela, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Russia, Egypt, Morocco, Ukraine, China, Indonesia, Israel, and India <h3>Interventions</h3> None. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> Correlations between Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease death rates, versus fish, milk, and sugar consumption, as well as stroke incidence. <h3>Results</h3> Alzheimer's Correlations: Milk: .62 (t = 6.06, p < .001) Stroke: -.26 (t = 2.52, p < .015) Fish: .18 (t = 2.03, p < .048) Parkinson's Correlations Sugar: .39 (t = 3.01, p < .004) Stroke: -.22 (t = -1.96, p < .056) Fish: .22 (t = 2.60, p < .012) Milk: .30 (t = 2.54, p < .015). <h3>Conclusions</h3> The results suggest that there is an important relationship between Parkinson's disease and dietary factors such as sugar, fish, and milk consumption. There is a likewise strong potential relationship between milk and fish intake for Alzheimer's disease. Such significant common correlates involving two clinically distinct dementia types suggest dietary factor(s) may be potentially important to overall dementia prevention. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> None to declare.

The Parkinson's Disease Death Rate: Carbidopa and Vitamin B6 [Retraction

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.2147/CPAA.S70707.].

The Parkinson's disease death rate: carbidopa and vitamin B6.

The only indication for carbidopa and benserazide is the management of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa)-induced nausea. Both drugs irreversibly bind to and permanently deactivate pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP), the active form of vitamin B6, and PLP-dependent enzymes. PLP is required for the function of over 300 enzymes and proteins. Virtually every major system in the body is impacted directly or indirectly by PLP. The administration of carbidopa and benserazide potentially induces a nutritional catastrophe. During the first 15 years of prescribing L-dopa, a decreasing Parkinson’s disease death rate was observed. Then, in 1976, 1 year after US Food and Drug Administration approved the original L-dopa/carbidopa combination drug, the Parkinson’s disease death rate started increasing. This trend has continued to the present, for 38 years and counting. The previous literature documents this increasing death rate, but no hypothesis has been offered concerning this trend. Carbidopa is postulated to contribute to the increasing Parkinson’s disease death rate and to the classification of Parkinson’s as a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It may contribute to L-dopa tachyphylaxis.

Welding Occupations and Mortality from Parkinson's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases Among United States Men, 1985–1999

Metal welding produces gaseous fumes that contain manganese, resulting in potential occupational exposure to welders. It has been hypothesized that occupational exposure among welders could increase risk of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. The present study examines welding occupation and mortality from neurodegenerative diseases among men in the United States using the National Cause of Death databases 1985 to 1999. Information was abstracted from death certificates for states that collected data on occupation. Of 4,252,490 men who died during the study period, 107,773 had welding-related occupations. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to calculate mortality odds ratios (MOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for odds of dying from Parkinson's disease or other neurodegenerative diseases among men who were welders as compared with men of other occupations, adjusting for attained age, race, region of residence, and year of death. During the study period, 49,174 deaths were attributed to Parkinson's disease, 54,892 to Alzheimer's disease, and 19,018 to presenile dementia. There was no evidence of an increased odds of Parkinson's disease mortality among welders as compared with men with other occupations (MOR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.78–0.88). Furthermore, welding occupation was unrelated to the odds of mortality from Alzheimer's disease (MOR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.89–1.00) or presenile dementia (MOR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.87–1.06). Earlier research suggested that welding exposures could predispose individuals to earlier onset Parkinson's disease. However, there was no evidence in this data of an increased mortality odds ratio associated with welding occupations among men younger than 65 (MOR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.74–1.44); while there was a suggestion of a lower odds Parkinson's disease death among men age 65 years and older (MOR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.77–0.88). Data from this large study do not support an association between welding occupations and death from Parkinson's disease or other neurodegenerative diseases, nor that welders are at increased odds of dying from Parkinson's disease at a younger age.