Drugs Log

People taking a certain type of blood pressure medication called calcium channel blockers may also be lowering their risk of getting Parkinson’s disease, according to a study released Wednesday.

A study by Swiss researchers found that people who had been taking a calcium channel blocker medication for an extended period of time had a 23 percent lower risk of developing the incurable neurological disease than people not on this type of drug.

The researchers also assessed several other classes of blood pressure medications, such as ACE inhibitors, AT II antagonists and beta blockers, but none of those appeared to offer the protective effect of calcium channel blockers.

“Long-term use of calcium channel blockers was associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, while no such association was seen for other high blood pressure medications,” said Christoph Meier, lead author of the paper and a researcher at University Hospital Basel in Switzerland.

Meier and colleagues studied more than 7,000 men and women from the United Kingdom over the age of 40 for the study, but they did not investigate the mechanism by which the drugs lowered the risk of Parkinson’s.

Calcium channel blockers lower blood pressure by preventing calcium from entering the cells of the heart and blood vessels. The net result is that they cause blood vessels to dilate or expand, and they lead to less contraction of the heart muscle.

The class includes drugs such as Dilacor, Adalat, Cardazem, Procardia and Covera.

Parkinson’s is a chronic and progressive disorder that typically afflicts people over the age of 60. The illness stems from the loss or destruction of brain cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, leading to problems with motor control.

Patients typically suffer from tremors and shakes, impaired balance and coordination and also stiffness or rigidity in the limbs or trunk.

High blood pressure medication offers reduced Parkinson’s risk

Calcium channel blockers that are used to treat high blood pressure may cut the risk of Parkinsons disease as well, say researchers.

The researchers say that their findings are based on a study of 7,374 men and women over age 40.

Christoph R. Meier of the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland has revealed half of the subjects had Parkinsons disease, while half were non-sufferers.

The studys author also revealed that nearly half of the participants in both groups used high blood pressure medications like calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, AT II antagonists, and beta blockers.

It was found that people who were currently long-term users of calcium channel blockers to treat high blood pressure lowered their risk of Parkinsons disease by 23 per cent as compared to those who did not take the drugs.

No such effect was found among people taking ACE inhibitors, AT II antagonists and beta blockers.

Long-term use of calcium channel blockers was associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinsons disease while no such association was seen for other high blood pressure medicines, said Meier.

Meier says that more research is needed to determine why calcium channel blockers appear to offer a reduced risk of Parkinsons disease, while the other high blood pressure medications do not.