Hearing loss and epilepsy are early symptoms of Parkinson’s, according to the UK’s most diverse study of its kind.
Using electronic primary care records from over one million people living in East London between 1990 and 2018 to explore early symptoms and risk factors for Parkinson’s, researchers found that known symptoms of the disease – including tremor and memory problems – can appear up to ten and five years before diagnosis respectively.
They also uncovered two new early features of Parkinson’s, epilepsy and hearing loss, and were able to replicate these findings using additional data from the UK Biobank.
While early signs of Parkinson’s have been researched previously, these studies have largely focused on affluent white populations, with patients from minority ethnic groups and those living in areas of high social deprivation largely under-represented in Parkinson’s research to date.
Now, this study from Queen Mary University of London, funded by Bart’s Charity, provides further evidence of risk factors and early signs of Parkinson’s, using data from such a diverse and deprived urban population for the first time.
In East London – where Black, South Asian and other ethnic groups comprise about 45 per cent of residents, and 80 per cent of people in the study were from low income households – conditions like hypertension and Type 2 diabetes were associated with increased odds of developing Parkinson’s.
The researchers also observed a stronger association between memory complaints within this population than previously described.
Lead study author Dr Cristina Simonet, neurologist at Queen Mary University of London, said: “This is the first study focusing on the pre-diagnostic phase of Parkinson’s in such a diverse population with high socioeconomic deprivation but universal access to healthcare.
“People from minority ethnic groups and deprived areas have largely been under-represented in Parkinson’s research up till now, but to allow us to get a full picture of the condition we need to ensure research is inclusive and represents all those affected.
“Our results uncovered novel risk factors and early symptoms: epilepsy and hearing loss.
“Whilst previous research has hinted at the association, such as epilepsy being more prevalent in Parkinson’s patients than in the general population, more research is now needed for us to fully understand the relationship.
“In the meantime, it’s important that primary care practitioners are aware of these links and understand how early the symptoms of Parkinson’s can appear, so that patients can get a timely diagnosis and doctors can act early to help manage the condition.”
Calls are increasingly being made for research to become more diverse, in both ethnicity and gender.
Shafaq Hussain-Ali, a former native East Londoner of Pakistani Punjabi descent who was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s three years ago and is a member of Parkinson’s UK Race Equality Steering Group, said: “Parkinson’s affects everyone, regardless of race or social background, but research has often failed to represent the diversity of the community.
“This research and the work that Parkinson’s UK is leading helps address the many unknowns regarding how the condition affects people from under-represented groups.
“It means that life-changing new treatments can be developed that will benefit everyone with the condition.
“I want to get the message out that young Asian people like myself can be affected by this condition, and that more people are likely to be affected by young onset Parkinson’s in the future.
“Getting an early diagnosis can make such a difference to quality of life and Parkinson’s progression.
“With appropriate management, you can carry on living well and have a productive life.
“I am still a practicing dentist, who enjoys swimming, walking and Kung Fu. I also still love doing my crochet!”
