From Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s, there are a number of progressive conditions that can wreak havoc later in life. As you get older, you may be more concerned about these diseases that can affect your body and your brain. Unfortunately, determining your risk factors for developing these conditions can be challenging, especially when it comes to Parkinson’s. However, a new study has uncovered a common feature that increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 80 percent. Read on to find out if your personality could be a risk factor, and for more ways to stay healthy as you age, doing this one thing twice a day lowers your risk of dementia, the study says.
Researchers at Florida State University College of Medicine have concluded that people with neuroticism are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, and will publish their findings April 4 in the Movement disorders log. The researchers looked at data collected from the British Biobank, which assessed nearly half a million people ages 40 to 69 for neuroticism in the mid-1990s, and followed them for 12 years. According to the study, those who scored in the top quartile of neuroticism had more than 80 percent more risk of developing Parkinson’s than those who scored lower on neuroticism.
“In the largest cohort to date and a meta-analysis of prospective studies, we found consistent evidence that higher neuroticism scoring is associated with a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease,” the researchers said in their study. And to learn more about managing your risk, these 2 vitamins lower your risk of Parkinson’s disease, a new study says.
According to the study, “neuroticism is a personality trait that measures individual differences in tendency to experience negative emotions, vulnerability to stress, inability to resist urges, and self-awareness.” People with neuroticism are more likely to have depressed moods and are more likely to experience frequent and severe feelings of guilt, jealousy, anger and fear, according to Medical News Today.
“Some clinicians think that the anxiety and depression are only the result of Parkinson’s,” Antonio Terracciano, PhD, one of the study researchers and a professor of geriatrics, said in a statement. However, our findings suggest that some emotional vulnerability is present early in life, years before the development of Parkinson’s disease.
But Parkinson’s disease isn’t the only problem people with neuroticism face. Terracciano also said that “individuals who score high on neuroticism are at higher risk for poor health outcomes throughout the lifespan, especially in the areas of mental health and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and related dementias.” And for more up-to-date information, you can sign up for our daily newsletter.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that typically starts gradually but overwhelmingly affects your movements over time, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is caused by a reduced production of dopamine in the brain. “Parkinson’s disease symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time,” they note. There is no cure for the disease, but certain medications may be able to help control your symptoms, and your doctor may suggest surgery to regulate certain areas of your brain to help improve symptoms as well. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, about 60,000 people in the US are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease every year, and nearly 10 million people in the world have this disease. And as you get older, you may want to know more: The Age When You’re “Over the Hill” isn’t what you thought, New Survey says.
According to the Mayo Clinic, early Parkinson’s disease symptoms may go unnoticed, but they usually start on one side of your body and continue to get worse on that side, even if they start to affect both sides. These symptoms may include tremor (which usually starts in your hands or fingers), slow movements, stiff muscles, decreased posture and balance, loss of automatic movements, speech and writing changes. “See your doctor if you have any of the symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease – not just to diagnose your condition, but to rule out other causes of your symptoms,” recommend the Mayo Clinic experts. And for more signs of serious health problems, sweating at night could be a sign of these types of cancer.