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Risk factors and prodromal markers and the development of Parkinson’s disease

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Abstract

Identification of risk factors and prodromal markers for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and the understanding of the point in time of first occurrence is essential for the early detection of incident PD. In this three-center longitudinal, observational study, we evaluated the specific risk for PD associated with single or combinations of risk factors and prodromal markers. In addition, we evaluated which risk factors and prodromal markers emerge at which time before the diagnosis of PD. Of the 1,847 at-baseline PD-free individuals ≥50 years, 1,260 underwent the 5-year follow-up assessment. There were 21 cases of incident PD during the study period. Enlarged hyperechogenic substantia nigra was the most frequent baseline sign in individuals developing PD after 3 years (80.0 %) and 5 years (85.7 %) compared to healthy controls (17.5 %) followed by the occurrence of mild parkinsonian signs and hyposmia. Evaluation of the signs at the first follow-up assessment showed that individuals developing PD after two additional years showed the same pattern of signs as individuals who developed PD 3 years after baseline assessment.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the PRIPS-study group who helped at different points in time of this longitudinal study: Dr. Katherine Schweitzer, Björn Wolf, Theresa Schubert, Marianne Bentele, Anne Runkel, Dr. Frank Wollenweber, Jörg Spiegel, Teresa Hiry, Mareike Probst, Vera Schneider, Martin Sawires, Christoph Pausch, Niko Schneider and Dr. Walter Maetzler. Moreover, we are thankful to the Bosch GmbH and the Walter AG who helped in recruitment and retention of participants. Last, but definitely not least, we very much appreciate the commitment of all who volunteered to participate in this study for 5 years. The Michael J Fox Foundation supported the assessments of the first and second follow-up financially.

Conflicts of interest

There is no conflict of interest for any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurodegeneration and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Center of Neurology, University of Tuebingen, Hoppe Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Stefanie Lerche, Inga Liepelt-Scarfone, Jana Godau, Alexandra Gaenslen, Kathrin Brockmann, Karin Srulijes, Heiko Huber, Isabel Wurster & Daniela Berg

  2. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), University of Tuebingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 27, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Stefanie Lerche, Inga Liepelt-Scarfone, Jana Godau, Alexandra Gaenslen, Kathrin Brockmann, Karin Srulijes, Heiko Huber, Isabel Wurster & Daniela Berg

  3. Department of Neurology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Klaus Seppi, Philipp Mahlknecht, Heike Stockner, Stefan Kiechl, Johann Willeit & Werner Poewe

  4. Department of Neurology, University of Homburg/Saar, Homburg, Germany

    Stefanie Behnke & Klaus Fassbender

  5. Department of Neurology, Bruneck Hospital, Bruneck, Italy

    Arno Gasperi

Authors
  1. Stefanie Lerche
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  2. Klaus Seppi
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  3. Stefanie Behnke
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  4. Inga Liepelt-Scarfone
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  6. Philipp Mahlknecht
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  7. Alexandra Gaenslen
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  8. Kathrin Brockmann
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  10. Heiko Huber
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  11. Isabel Wurster
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  12. Heike Stockner
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  13. Stefan Kiechl
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  14. Johann Willeit
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  15. Arno Gasperi
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  16. Klaus Fassbender
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  17. Werner Poewe
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  18. Daniela Berg
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Correspondence to Stefanie Lerche.

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Lerche, S., Seppi, K., Behnke, S. et al. Risk factors and prodromal markers and the development of Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol 261, 180–187 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-013-7171-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-013-7171-0

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