Increased risk of Parkinson's disease with Methamphetamine use

Increased risk of Parkinson's disease in individuals hospitalized with conditions related to the use of methamphetamine or other amphetamine-type drugs

Russell C. Callaghan(a, b), James K. Cunningham(c), Jenna Sykes(a) and Stephen J. Kisha (d)
a Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell St., Toronto, ON M5S 2S1, Canada
b Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
c Department of Family and Community Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States
d Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5A 2N4, Canada

Since methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants (meth/amphetamine) can damage dopaminergic neurons, researchers have long speculated that these drugs may predispose users to develop Parkinson's disease (PD), a dopamine deficiency neurological disorder.

The meth/amphetamine cohort showed increased risk of PD compared to both that of the matched appendicitis group [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.12–2.75, p = 0.017] and the matched cocaine group [HR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.32–4.41, p = 0.004]. The cocaine group did not show elevated hazard of PD compared to the matched appendicitis group.

These data provide evidence that meth/amphetamine users have above-normal risk for developing PD.

Read the full article at: Drug and Alcohol Dependence