Prospective Cohort Study of Type 2 Diabetes and the Risk of Parkinson's Disease
- Jane A. Driver, MD, MPH1,
- Ashley Smith, MS1,
- Julie E. Buring, ScD1,
- Michael Gaziano, MD, MPH1,
- Tobias Kurth, MD, ScD (tkurth{at}rics.bwh.harvard.edu)1 and
- Giancarlo Logroscino, MD, PhD1
- 1From the Divisions of Aging (J.A.D., A.S., J.E.B., J.M.G., T.K., G.L.) and Preventive Medicine, (J.E.B., J.M.G., T.K.), Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School; Department of Epidemiology (J.E.B., T.K., G.L.) Harvard School of Public Health; Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention (J.E.B.), Harvard Medical School; Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research Information Center, VA Boston Healthcare System (J.M.G.); all in Boston, MA
Abstract
Objective/Methods— We evaluated the association between type 2 diabetes and newly reported Parkinson's disease (PD) among 21,841 participants in the Physicians' Health Study, a cohort of U.S. male physicians. Diabetes and PD were self-reported via questionnaire. We used time-varying Cox regression to calculate adjusted relative risks (RR) for PD.
Results— Over 23 years, 556 cases of PD were identified. Subjects with diabetes had an increased PD risk (multivariable-adjusted RR=1.34; 95%CI:1.01- 1.77). The association remained significant after exclusion of those with known vascular disease. The diagnosis of diabetes was clustered around the diagnosis of PD and was more apparent among men with short diabetes duration and those without complication from diabetes.
Conclusions— Results of this large prospective study in men do not suggest that diabetes is a preceding risk factor for PD. Whether the positive association may be explained by ascertainment bias or a common underlying biological mechanism remains to be established.
Footnotes
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- Received April 9, 2008.
- Accepted June 25, 2008.
- Copyright © American Diabetes Association
