What did the research discover?
This research investigated how frequently patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) develop dementia, a feared long-term outcome. Older studies suggested that up to 80% of PD patients develop dementia, but this study used more recent data from two large research cohorts to provide a clearer picture.
The study followed 417 participants from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) and 389 from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) PD research cohort.
Results showed that dementia develops less frequently or later in the disease than previously thought. In the PPMI cohort, only about 9-15% of patients developed dementia within 10 years.
In contrast, the Penn cohort showed a higher dementia rate of 27% at 10 years and 50% at 15 years. The Penn cohort also found that 74% of patients developed dementia after 20 years of disease duration.
Key factors that influenced the development of dementia included age at disease diagnosis, gender, and education level. Older patients, males, and those with less education were at higher risk of developing dementia sooner.
How can I apply this research?
If you or a loved one has Parkinson’s disease, it’s important to understand that while cognitive decline is a concern, this research suggests dementia may not develop as quickly as previously believed.
Knowing the risk factors—such as age, sex, and education—can help you work closely with your healthcare provider to monitor cognitive health.
Regular cognitive assessments can help detect early signs of dementia, providing more time for interventions to slow cognitive decline.
For healthcare providers, this research offers a more up-to-date perspective on long-term dementia risk in Parkinson’s patients.
It may also help in planning care strategies, monitoring at-risk patients, and reassuring families about the potential timeline for dementia onset.
Source:
Gallagher J, Gochanour C, Caspell-Garcia C, Dobkin RD, Aarsland D, Alcalay RN, Barrett MJ, Chahine L, Chen-Plotkin AS, Coffey CS, Dahodwala N. Long-term dementia risk in Parkinson disease. Neurology. 2024 Sep 10;103(5):e209699. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39110916/
