Low vitamin D levels linked to non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease

AUGUST 7, 2019    by Wiley

Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease. Credit: Wikipedia

In an Acta Neurologica Scandinavia study of 182 patients with Parkinson's disease and 185 healthy controls, patients with Parkinson's disease had significantly lower levels of vitamin D in their blood. Also, patients with lower vitamin D levels were more likely to fall, and to experience sleep problems, depression, and anxiety.

The findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may help to treat non-motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease.

The findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may help to treat non-motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. The image is in the public domain.

"As various non-motor symptoms place a burden on individuals with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers, vitamin D might be a potential add-on therapy for improving these neglected symptoms," said senior author Chun Feng Liu, MD, Ph.D., of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, in China.

More information: Hui‐Jun Zhang et al, Relationship between 25‐Hydroxyvitamin D, bone density, and Parkinson's disease symptoms, Acta Neurologica Scandinavica (2019).  DOI: 10.1111/ane.13141

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-08-vitamin-d-linked-non-motor-symptoms.html