People who take ibuprofen two or more times a week are considerably less likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those who don't take the drug, according to a study published online March 2 in the journal Neurology.The finding suggests this common over-the-counter painkiller (sold under brand names that include Advil, Motrin and Nuprin) may actually protect the brain against the degeneration that produces the symptoms of Parkinson's, including shaking, muscle stiffness and other difficulties with movement and coordination.
The latest analysis examined health and medical reports from a study group of 98,892 female nurses and a group of 37,305 male health professionals, following them for six years beginning in 2000. Those who took ibuprofen regularly had a 38 percent lower risk of ending up among the 291 patients diagnosed with Parkinson's during that time. The likelihood of getting Parkinson's dropped with increasing weekly doses of ibuprofen.
For years scientists have suspected that painkillers in a class called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), a group that includes ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen, protect the brain from the damage associated with diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's by controlling inflammation.
The investigators speculate this distinction could be due to ibuprofen's special ability to act on a particular signaling pathway in the brain that involves inflammation, the accumulation of destructive molecules called free radicals, and programmed cell death.
An accompanying editorial says doctors should "absolutely not" begin prescribing ibuprofen for patients with Parkinson's disease. Why? Because it may be that ibuprofen protects against the "initial insult" that leads to Parkinson's but is useless once symptoms appear, or it may be it's not ibuprofen at all but some separate characteristic of ibuprofen users that actually protects against the condition, explains the lead editorialist, James H. Bower, M.D., associate professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Meanwhile, he says, long-term ibuprofen use comes with the risk of serious side effects. These include irritation and stomach bleeding and increased risk of heart and kidney problems.
In his editorial, Bower compares the findings on ibuprofen to similar observational findings on smoking, caffeine consumption and high blood levels of uric acid, all of which have been associated with lower risk of Parkinson's. Rather than suggest people try these approaches, he says, scientists have incorporated them into research that tests their effect in a safe form and controlled environment.
Mya Schiess, M.D., director of movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, says she has followed research on the issue closely, and does recommend ibuprofen for patients who have a sharply increased risk of developing Parkinson's — for example, those with a rare and disruptive problem called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder, in which they act out their dreams.
Schiess says although she screens patients for problems that could make ibuprofen riskier, and watches them for side effects, the amount linked to reduced risk for Parkinson's is generally not dangerous. "This study is based on whether people use ibuprofen a minimum of two times a week, and that's not an excessive amount of medicine," she says. "It's not a daily, scheduled amount of medicine. I would think that that has to be strongly taken into consideration."
Resources:http://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-03-2011/ibuprofen-may-protect-against-parkinsons-disease.2.html
Written by: Katharine Greider
For more information about the Parkinson Research Foundation or to learn more about How to Fight Parkinson's Disease, our upcoming conference is on Monday, March 28th, 2011 in Tampa, Fl. Please visit us at http://www.parkinsonresearchfoundation.org/ As always please consult your physician before beginning a new health regimen. Thank you for your continued support.
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