Covid-19 causes pneumonia which is one of the main causes of death in patients with Parkinson’s.
- The risk of dying from Covid-19 is 30% higher for patients with Parkinson’s disease
- This increased risk is linked to the susceptibility of patients with Parkinson’s to pneumonia.
We are not all equal in the face of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Among the factors that cause differences, patients with Parkinson’s are more at risk than others. This statement is the result of a study conducted by American neurologists. This was published in the journal Movement Disorders September 21.
The pneumonia involved
For this study, researchers observed approximately 80,000 patients and analyzed mortality data eight weeks later. They found that 5.5%, or 4,290 of 78,355 patients with Covid-19 without Parkinson’s died compared to 21.3%, or 148 of 694 of patients with both Covid-19 and Parkinson’s. Since most patients with Parkinson’s tend to be older and more likely to be male – factors that also increase the risk of death – the researchers compared patients with common characteristics on these factors. They found that the risk of dying from Covid-19 is 30% higher in patients with Parkinson’s.
To explain this correlation, the researchers put forward the hypothesis that the increased risk is due to pneumonia caused by infection with Covid-19, a disease which is a major cause of death in patients with Parkinson’s. “We’re all focused on the coronavirus right now but it’s a clear example of a respiratory illness that leads to increased mortality [chez les patients atteints Parkinson]. These findings may also have implications for understanding risks for patients with Parkinson’s and other illnesses, including influenza.adds Nandakumar Narayanan. I would recommend a flu shot and a pneumonia shot to try to prevent these problems in patients with Parkinson’s.”
Limit the risks
The researchers say the findings should inform Parkinson’s patients and their doctors of the increased importance of preventing coronavirus infection. “For our own patients, we can give advice that it is important that you wear a mask. It is important that you socially distance”, specifies Qiang Zhang, one of the authors of the study. He adds that doctors should also assess the increased risk of death from the virus when considering caring for patients with Parkinson’s during the pandemic.
The researchers conclude on the limits of their study, which is only observational. “We acknowledge the limitations of this study; these are retrospective data from a single database but we are confident that these data show that Parkinson’s disease is an independent risk factor for death in Covid-19says Nandakumar Narayanan. We believe this observation will be of interest to clinicians treating patients with Parkinson’s and public health officials..”
