Uric acid to slow down Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system which affects a person's speech and movement. Its symptoms include shaking, slowness of movement, stiffness and difficulty with balance.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed the data on urate levels of those Parkinson’s patients who had been part of a two-year trial in the late 1980s.

They looked both at the blood samples and cerebrospinal fluid samples--the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord--of the patients and measured their urate levels.

Higher urate levels linked to lower risk of the disorder
The researchers were able to analyze the blood urate levels of 774 patients and the antioxidant levels in the frozen spinal fluid from 713 patients.

The results of the study reported in the Archives of Neurology showed that patients with higher amounts of antioxidant urate in their blood were 36 percent less likely to need treatment within two years for early Parkinson’s symptoms than those with the lower urate levels.

Dr. Alberto Ascherio, from the Harvard School of Public Health, who led the study, said, “Only now we can be reasonably sure that the slower rate of progression in patients with higher concentrations of urate is real and not a chance occurrence."

Previous studies also suggest that high uric acid levels could slow the progression of Parkinson’s Disease.

Further trial to find a safe therapy
To determine a safe way to raise urate levels as a therapy for treating Parkinson’s disease, researchers are now conducting a trial with support from the Michael J Fox Foundation--the largest private funder in the U.S. of medical research into Parkinson's disease.

Under the trial, 90 recently-diagnosed Parkinson's patients will be treated with a drug inosine which can elevate uric acid levels.

The drug will help determine whether the urate level can be safely raised and if this slows the disease’s progression.

Elevated urate levels harmful for health
Diets rich in foods like liver, seafood, dried beans, peas as well as alcohol have been associated with high uric acid levels. But higher urate levels result in health problems including gout--joint problem-- and kidney stones, say experts.

However, researchers of the study have cautioned that the patients should not try to increase their urate levels themselves by eating more urate-rich foods to guard against Parkinson's disease because of the side effects.

They said that urate elevation should only be attempted in the context of a closely monitored clinical trial in which potential benefits and risks of the medical condition are carefully balanced.