The immune system may play a key role in the development of Parkinson’s disease, Nature Genetics reports.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that most often develops in people over the age of 65. In patients, dopaminergic neurons are destroyed, in the part of the brain primarily responsible for controlling body position and movement. Typical symptoms are mobility problems, slowness of movement, balance disorders, facial expressions and tremors in the extremities.
Currently, doctors and their patients only have drugs that alleviate the symptoms of the disease at their disposal.
In a 20-year study organized by the international consortium NeuroGenetics Research, 4 people were observed. people – 2 thousand of them had Parkinson’s disease. The disease has been found to be linked to the HLA genes that control how the immune system works.
Thanks to HLA genes, it is possible to distinguish dangerous microorganisms from one’s own tissues, but disruptions in this system lead to serious diseases in the course of which the immune system destroys its own tissues.
The same genetic variant of HLA is involved in Parkinson’s disease that was observed in recent research into multiple sclerosis (MS).
Research results indicate new treatment options based on the action of immunological mechanisms. For example, it is known that people taking frequent NSAIDs such as ibuprofen are less likely to suffer from Parkinson’s – but not everyone is as protective as possible, which is likely to be genetic. (PAP)