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the study, published in scientific reports , found that three biomarkers — blood pressure, the percentage of red blood cells in a person’s blood and serum cholesterol levels — all undergo changes in parkinson’s patients years before the onset of the motor symptoms commonly associated with the disease.
parkinson’s is a brain disorder that occurs when clusters of nerve cells (or neurons) controlling the body’s movement die or malfunction, resulting in a decrease in the production of dopamine. scientists are unsure exactly what causes these cells to die, but their destruction leads to motor control issues that can have a debilitating effect on patients.
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“if we can detect biological changes in the patients’ bodies well before the onset of the motor symptoms, we can start medical treatments in an early stage,” said masahisa katsuno , one of the authors of the study and the director of neurology at the graduate school of medicine at nagoya university.
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with more than 100,000 canadians living with parkinson’s today, and roughly 6,600 new diagnoses every year, it’s hard to overstate the benefits of early detection. typically diagnosed around the age of 65 when symptoms become undeniable, the associated costs of managing the incurable disease is more than $1.2 billion in canada. monthly medications alone cost the typical canadian patient more than $1,000 per month.
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
