Carotid atherosclerosis progression in patients with Parkinson's disease: a prospective cohort study.

Research overview

The text below is the source article’s original abstract under a verified reuse license. cc by

BackgroundEvidence regarding the association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and cardio-cerebrovascular risk remains conflicting, and it is unclear whether the dynamic progression of carotid atherosclerosis in PD patients differs from that in non-PD individuals. This study aimed to compare the progression of carotid atherosclerosis over a 1-year follow-up between PD patients and matched controls, and to investigate whether PD influences this progression independently of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.MethodsThis prospective cohort study ultimately included 61 PD patients and 59 age- and sex-matched non-PD controls. Carotid ultrasound was performed at baseline and at the 1-year follow-up. The primary outcome was the annual change in total plaque area (ΔTPA), with plaque progression defined as ΔTPA ≥ 0.05 cm2. Multivariable logistic regression models, adjusting for diabetes, smoking, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), were used to assess the independent association between PD status and plaque progression.ResultsAt baseline, carotid intima-media thickness and TPA were significantly lower in the PD group than in the control group (both P P P = 0.047). Within the PD group, no significant associations were observed between plaque progression and disease-specific factors such as disease duration, motor severity, or levodopa equivalent daily dose.ConclusionCarotid atherosclerosis progression is significantly slower in PD patients than in non-PD individuals, and this effect is independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. These findings suggest that PD patients may exhibit a "vascular protective phenotype," and that a unique shared regulatory network may exist between neurodegenerative processes and peripheral vascular homeostasis.

Related topics