by Kat Centeno

Created on: April 12, 2011   Last Updated: April 13, 2011

Parkinson's disease is a condition in which the motor skills of a person are affected. It is manifested through tremors in the hands and body, improper posture and uncontrolled random movements. Thus, the condition can hinder a person from performing normal activities. Actor Michael J. Fox and boxer Muhammad Ali are two of the famous personalities with this disease.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls movement. In a person with Parkinson's disease, the brain cells that produce dopamine are damaged. The impairment of these brain cells causes the erratic movement that is observed from people with Parkinson's disease.

Like any other diseases, researchers in the medical field are interested to know how one disease correlates with another. Since the different parts of the body are interconnected, one disease may trigger another condition. In 2007, a group of scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health wanted to know whether hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or diabetes is a risk factor in developing Parkinson's disease. The results showed that there is no significant correlation between Parkinson's hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or diabetes.

In a 2008 report in ScienceDaily.com, a research conducted by Christoph Meier of the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland on 7,274 men and women over 40 showed that those who use hypertension drugs that are calcium channel blockers were associated with reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease compared to those who used other hypertension medications.  This was done by looking into cases of Parkinson’s disease diagnoses from 1994-2005 in United Kingdom.

In the April 2010 issue of Neurology Today, an article written by Richard Robinson explained the research done on calcium channel blockers and Parkinson's disease risks. Drugs like isradipine, nimodipine and nifedipine block L-type calcium channels which regulates contraction in the smooth muscles including the heart. By blocking the calcium channels, contraction is reduced thus resulting to lower blood pressure. These L-type calcium channels are also found in the central nervous system where neurotransmitter, dopamine, is produced. It is hypothesized that calcium in the neurons can be toxic thus affecting dopamine production. The calcium channel blockers have protective effects on these neurons.

In summary, the only connection between hypertension and Parkinson's disease is that calcium channel blockers used for hypertension can reduce Parkinson's risk. Studies are recommended to further look into using such drugs to treat patients with existing Parkinson's disease. There is no evidence that hypertension can or cannot cause Parkinson's, vice versa.

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