Small study links low LDL to Parkinson's disease; results unlikely to affect prescribing of statins

People with low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are more likely to have Parkinson's disease, according to researchers at the USA's University of North Carolina. Low levels of LDL cholesterol are an indicator of good cardiovascular health and LDL reduction is the therapeutic effect of statins, the world's best selling class of drugs, which includes Pfizer's $12.0 billion a year Lipitor (atorvastatin).

"People with Parkinson's disease have a lower occurrence of heart attack and stroke than people who do not have the disease," said lead study author, Xuemei Huang. "Parkinson's patients are also more likely to carry the gene APOE-2, which is linked with lower LDL cholesterol," she said, adding that, for more than a decade, researchers have known that smoking, which increases a person's risk for CV disease, is also associated with a decreased risk of PD.

The results of Dr Huang's study, published in the December 18 on-line issue of the journal Movement Disorders, showed that lower LDL concentrations were associated with a higher occurrence of PD. Participants with LDL levels less than 114mg per deciliter had a 3.5-fold higher occurrence of the neurodegerative disease than those with LDL levels over 138mg per deciliter.