Depression linked to higher Parkinson’s risk

People suffering from depression may have a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. This is according to a study published in the journal Neurology.

In the past, depression has been linked to numerous other disorders. Earlier this year, Medical News Today reported on a study suggesting that depression doubles the risk of stroke in middle-aged women.

But researchers from the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan say their research suggests that depression is an independent risk factor for Parkinson’s disease – a progressive disorder of the nervous system.

For the study, the researchers conducted an analysis of the medical records of 23,180 participants over a 10-year period. Of these, 4,463 patients had depression and 18,533 patients were controls.

The researchers looked at the patients’ risk of Parkinson’s over the study period, using a logistic regression model to identify risk factors in patients who were depressed.

Additionally, the researchers looked at patients’ risk of Parkinson’s, excluding those who were diagnosed with the disorder within 2 or 5 years following their diagnosis of depression.