THE ESSENTIAL
- In France, Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative pathology following Alzheimer’s disease. It concerns 100,000 to 120,000 French people.
- Terazosin, a drug indicated to treat an enlarged prostate, is believed to reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 12 to 37%.
“It was recently discovered that terazosin and similar drugs reduce the progression of Parkinson’s disease in animal models.” This is what researchers from China, Denmark and the University of Iowa (in the US) have said. But is this drug used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia also effective in humans? In order to have the heart, these scientists realized a study published in the journal JAMA Neurology.
A risk reduction of 12 to 37%
To carry it out, the researchers analyzed American and Danish health registries, where 300,000 elderly men were registered. Among these, they identified 147,248 people who had recently taken terazosin and compared this information with data on Parkinson’s disease (prevalence, incidence, symptoms). Scientists also identified 152,752 patients who took tamsulosin, another treatment commonly used to treat an enlarged prostate.
Scientists have found that taking “Terazosin (which improves cellular energy production) was associated with a 12% to 37% decrease in the risk of Parkinson’s disease.” “These data suggest that terazosin users have a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease” than those who took tamsulosin, the study authors concluded.