Serum zinc deficiency: a catalyst for dementia in Parkinson’s disease?

Published on April 27, 2023

Imagine your body as a bustling city, with different elements working together to keep everything running smoothly. Well, in the case of Parkinson’s disease (PD), the element in question is serum zinc. A recent study found that low levels of serum zinc may be linked to an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease dementia (PD-D). Just like a missing cog in a machine, a deficiency in zinc could be the catalyst that triggers the onset of PD-D. This study compared serum heavy metal levels in newly diagnosed PD patients and found that those who later developed PD-D had significantly lower zinc levels than those who remained without dementia. Interestingly, lower zinc levels were also correlated with cognitive and motor function decline. So, it seems that maintaining adequate amounts of serum zinc could be crucial for preventing the conversion to PD-D. If you’re curious to learn more about this fascinating research and how it may contribute to our understanding of Parkinson’s disease, dive into the full article!

BackgroundAssociation between heavy metals and Parkinson’s disease (PD) is well noted, but studies regarding heavy metal levels and non-motor symptoms of PD, such as PD’s dementia (PD-D), are lacking.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, we compared five serum heavy metal levels (Zn, Cu, Pb, Hg, and Mn) of newly diagnosed PD patients (n = 124). Among 124 patients, 40 patients were later converted to Parkinson’s disease dementia (PD-D), and 84 patients remained without dementia during the follow-up time. We collected clinical parameters of PD and conducted correlation analysis with heavy metal levels. PD-D conversion time was defined as the initiation time of cholinesterase inhibitors. Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify factors associated with dementia conversion in PD subjects.ResultsZn deficiency was significant in the PD-D group than in the PD without dementia group (87.53 ± 13.20 vs. 74.91 ± 14.43, p < 0.01). Lower serum Zn level was significantly correlated with K-MMSE and LEDD at 3 months (r = −0.28, p < 0.01; r = 0.38, p < 0.01). Zn deficiency also contributed to a shorter time to dementia conversion (HR 0.953, 95% CI 0.919 to 0.988, p < 0.01).ConclusionThis clinical study suggests that a low serum Zn level can be a risk factor for developing PD-D and could be used as a biological marker for PD-D conversion.

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