SAN DIEGO, April 5 (UPI) -- Those with Parkinson's disease are at increased risk of osteoporosis, says a study presented at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in San Diego.
Study author and neurologist Mohammad Alhalabi of Damascus University in Syria studied 166 Parkinson's disease patients and found that 51 percent of the female patients had osteoporosis; while the rate of osteoporosis among women of the same age without Parkinson's is about 25 percent.
Among the males with Parkinson disease, 29 percent had osteoporosis, compared with about 7 percent of men without Parkinson's.
"Once people with Parkinson disease start having trouble with their gait, they should have a bone mass density scan to look for osteoporosis and get treatment if needed," said study author and neurologist Mohammad Alhalabi of Damascus University in Syria. "Current guidelines do not list Parkinson's disease as a risk factor for osteoporosis, but this study suggests that it should be included."
Alhalabi suggests that the increased risk for osteoporosis could result from the decreased mobility people with Parkinson's experience as the disease progresses and that exercise can help prevent osteoporosis.
The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology 58th Annual Meeting in San Diego.
