In 1817, James Parkinson published a paper titled, An Essay on the Shaking Palsy, that described his observations of abnormal movements in some individuals. Dr. Parkinson was an English surgeon who was better known in his day as a geologist and paleontologist. In 1804, he published a book on fossils titled, Organic Remains of a Former World. He wrote more books on fossils than he did on medicine. At that time in England, physicians were available to the wealthy and he broke this mold by writing numerous pamphlets on how to improve your health and seeing patients who could not pay. It has been 197 years since his death on December 21, 1824 but the impact of his observations on Parkinson’s disease are still relevant today. It was not until 1872 that the French neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot read Dr. Parkinson’s essay and named the disorder after the English surgeon. Dr. Charcot spent most of his career researching Parkinson’s disease. Despite over 200 years of observing the disease, we still do not have great answers on the risks associated with Parkinson’s disease.  

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by tremors, slow movements (bradykinesia), rigid muscles, speech changes, and the decreased ability to perform unconscious movements like blinking, smiling, and swinging one’s arms while walking. The loss of dopamine from nerve cells in the brain contributes to these symptoms but why the essential neurotransmitter is depleted still remains a mystery. Factors that include family history (genetics) and environmental triggers like exposure to pesticides have been considered as possible reasons for dopamine depletion.  Other studies have indicated some protection with regular aerobic exercise and consuming daily caffeine including green tea.  

So why am I writing about Parkinson’s while there are outbreaks of COVID-19 and the flu? New science has been published that is giving us more answers to some underlying questions.   

For decades, there has been a debate on whether there is a link to viruses such as the flu causing neurologic problems such as Parkinson’s. After the 1918 influenza pandemic, there was a substantial increase in the diagnosis of this disease. Researchers have theorized that the virus gets into the brain cells causing inflammation and damage that is not detected for years after the insulting event. Other viruses besides influenza have been associated with what researchers call viral parkinsonism.  

A December, 2021, article published in JAMA Neurology from researchers at Harvard Medical School looked at this issue. The study involved individuals with the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and then compared them to individuals without the diagnosis. The study used data starting in 1977 through 2016. The study found a profound link between those patients who had a documented influenza (flu) infection and the development of Parkinson’s disease. The authors reported that it took at least ten years after the flu before Parkinson’s symptoms emerged.  Researchers from other prominent medical colleges in the United States have published a viewpoint article discussing scientific concerns for a possible future link to Parkinson’s disease with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The COVID-19 virus is known to attach to brain cells causing inflammation that can result in neurologic symptoms including brain fog. The researchers are calling for long-term monitoring of people who have had COVID-19 infections to evaluate future diseases like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Knowing that having the flu could increase your risk of Parkinson’s disease, a logical question would be if there was a benefit in preventing the flu with the flu vaccine? It would make sense, but no studies have really provided us an answer to that specific question. Recently, some other science has been published addressing benefits to the flu vaccine.  

A study published in Ageing Research Reviews from November 30, 2021, evaluated studies to determine if the influenza vaccine could reduce the risk of dementia. Previous animal studies have shown either prevention or delay in the onset of dementia with flu vaccines. The authors point out that human data is limited but when they analyzed the combined data in humans, the flu vaccine was associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia. A second study from France evaluated the benefits of the influenza vaccine in patients over the age of 80 years. The study showed a significant reduction in death in those who had received the flu vaccine versus those that did not get vaccinated. The authors urged consideration for getting the flu vaccine in the older population since 90% of the deaths from influenza globally occur in the 80+ group.  

Help us control COVID-19 and the flu by talking to your health professional about the science. Feel free to call the ONU HealthWise Pharmacy. The ONU Drug and Health Information Center offers a service to job sites or community organizations to speak about the vaccines. 

ONU HealthWise is offering COVID-19 and flu vaccines Monday through Friday from 4-6:00 p.m. Call the pharmacy for an appointment for other time slots. The ONU HealthWise pharmacy offers Moderna, Pfizer, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), as well as flu shots and high-dose flu vaccines for those over the age of 65. Pediatric Pfizer vaccines (5 to 11-years) are available by appointment through the state Vaccine Management Solution (VMS) system. Call the pharmacy to get more information on getting vaccinated.  

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