BOSTON, Oct 15, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- U.S. researchers have found
Parkinson's disease progresses more slowly in patients with higher levels of
urate.
Urate is a salt derived from uric acid. When the body cannot metabolize uric
acid properly, urates can build up in body tissues or crystallize within the
joints.
The study, published online in the Archives of Neurology, found the disease
progressed more slowly in patients with the highest levels of urate than in
people with the lowest levels.
Study leaders Dr. Michael Schwarzschild of Massachusetts General Hospital and
Alberto Ascherio of Massachusetts General Hospital, both in Boston, said it is
unknown whether the higher levels of urate actually protect Parkinson's patients
or serves only as a marker of protection.
High levels of urate accumulated in the blood are known to cause gout -- a form
of arthritis, especially in the big toe -- and other problems.
Schwarzchild and Ascherio based their study on data from a larger study
collecting blood samples -- called DATATOP -- begun by Dr. Ira Shoulson of the
University of Rochester Medical Center two decades ago. DATATOP collected blood
samples, cerbrospinal fluid, and other information over an eight-year period
from 800 people with Parkinson's Disease.
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