Skin biopsy allows diagnosis of Parkinson's decades before disease onset
2021
Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, USA
Prodromal Parkinson's disease of the skin, genitourinary, and gastrointestinal systems offers a unique window for understanding early disease pathogenesis and developing disease-modifying treatments. However, prior studies are limited by incomplete timing information, small sample size, and lack of adjustment for known confounders. The researchers aimed to measure onset timing for gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and skin disorders in a large, US-wide clinically characterized cohort of 1.5 million participants. More than 300.000 patients with Parkinson's disease were identified and were compared 4:1 with matched controls. Disorder prevalence and estimated onset times were assessed for 20 years preceding diagnosis. The researchers show that gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and skin disorders manifest decades before the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, reiterating their potential as sites for developing early diagnostic testing and understanding pathogenesis.
Onset of skin, gut, and genitourinary prodromal Parkinson's disease: a study of 1.5 million veterans
Gregory D. Scott
Added on: 05-12-2022
[1] https://movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mds.28636[2] https://www.bionity.com/de/news/1173446/parkinson-diagnose-mittels-hautbiopsie-koennte-schon-jahre-vor-der-eigentlichen-erkrankung-aufschluss-geben.html
