Parkinson's disease hope: Study finds arthritis and asthma medication reduces the risk of the condition by up to one-third and could pave the way for new treatment

Arthritis and asthma medication reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease by up to one-third and could pave the way for a new treatment, research suggests.

People who take corticosteroids, which are commonly prescribed for asthma, psoriasis and ulcerative colitis, are 20 percent less at risk of suffering tremors, a study found today.

IMDH inhibitors, which are used to treat arthritis, Crohn's and organ transplant rejection, reduce people's risk of developing Parkinson's by around a third, the research adds.

Lead author Dr Brad Racette, from the University of Washington, said: 'We've found that taking certain classes of immunosuppressant drugs reduces the risk of developing Parkinson's.

'Our next step is to conduct a study with people newly diagnosed with Parkinson's to see whether these drugs have the effect on the immune system we'd expect.'

Although unclear, Parkinson's may be caused by an overactive immune system, which the drugs work to reduce.

Around 60,000 people living in the US are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease every year.

 31 May 2018

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