Rhinitis link to Parkinson's

Published on Tuesday 8 August 2006 00:12

A COMMON allergic condition that causes symptoms of a "permanent cold" has been linked to the development of Parkinson's disease in later life.

Scientists found that rhinitis sufferers were three times more likely than average to develop Parkinson's.

They believe the association could be due to inflammation triggered by the condition.

Previous research has shown that people who regularly take anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen have a reduced risk of Parkinson's.

Inflammatory diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis were not found to be associated with Parkinson's disease. However, this may only be because of the relatively small numbers of people who have these diseases, said the researchers.

United States scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, compared 196 people who suffered from Parkinson's with a matched group who did not. Over a 20-year period those with allergic rhinitis were 2.9 times more likely to develop Parkinson's.

About 16 per cent of the UK population suffer from rhinitis,

which is triggered by indoor allergens such as house dust mites and pet skin flakes.