Parkinson Disease at a Younger Age Attributed to Gene Abnormality

September 18, 2007 at 5:24 PM Senior Health News
  •   Print
  •   Share
  •   Comments
  •  Text 
Parkinson Disease at a Younger Age Attributed to Gene Abnormality
According to a study published in the September 18, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, people with a certain gene mutation are more likely to get Parkinson’s disease before the age of 50 compared to those without the gene abnormality.

For the study, researchers analyzed the genes of 278 people with Parkinson’s disease and 179 people without the disease.

The study found 14 percent of the people with Parkinson’s disease carried mutations in the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene compared to only five percent of people without the disease. The gene abnormality was found in 22 percent of people who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease before age 50 compared to 10 percent of the people with disease onset after age 50. Mutations in the GBA gene cause Gaucher's disease, which is a rare disorder that prevents organs, such as the spleen and brain, from working properly due to the build-up of a fatty substance called glucocerebroside.

“Our results confirm that GBA mutations are risk factors for Parkinson’s disease and may lead to getting the disease at a younger age,” said study author Lorraine N. Clark, PhD, and coauthor Karen Marder, MD, MPH, with Columbia University’s Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, and Departments of Pathology and Neurology, in New York. “We found those people with GBA mutations developed Parkinson’s disease nearly two years earlier than people without the gene abnormality.”

Page 1 Page 1 | 2  Next
 Email Email   RSS Feeds RSS Feeds   Print this page Print   Save this page Save   Link Link   Syndicate Syndicate   Comments Comments   Bookmark and Share
 
Comment & Contribute
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  
If you have a question about health related issues, you can now post it in our Ask An Expert section on our community website Medwonders.com and get answers from our panel of experts.
X

Medwonders Health Network

  • Health News Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :
  • News Quick Links
News Central Health Watch
Latest Health News Health In Focus
News Category (500+) Breaking Health News
Popular News Celebrating Life
Health News and Press Release Medindia - Exclusive
News Photo Gallery India Special
News Video Gallery Lifestyle and Wellness
News From Other Resources
News Categories:  
Diabetes Health Center

Senior Health Related News

» Older Adults Urged To Exercise More To Keep Themselves Fit » Type of Viral Infection of Eye Linked With Disease Causing Blindness in the Elderly
» Alcohol Consumption Tied To Cognitive Decline and Dementia in Elderly » TB Raises Lung Cancer Mortality Risk in Elderly
» Dementia Patients More Likely to be in Their Homes at the Time of Death » Study Says Most Senior Citizens in Delhi NCR Have Bone Ailments
» Video Games Benefit Older Adults » People Who Do Not Dwell on Past Mistakes Happier in Their Old Age
Read More >>