Depression ‘linked with higher Parkinson’s disease risk’

People who are depressed may have triple the risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life, according to newly-published research.

Scientists in Taiwan have analysed the medical records of 4,634 people with depression and 18,544 free of depression over ten years, while also looking at the associated risk of Parkinson's disease.

Results published in the medical journal Neurology revealed that 1.42 percent of those with depression went on to develop the neurodegenerative condition, compared to 0.52 percent of those who were not depressed.

It was also found that suffering from depression in older age and having difficult-to-treat depression were significant risk factors as well.

Dr Albert Yang at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan, said: "Many questions remain, including whether depression is an early symptom of Parkinson's disease rather than an independent risk factor for the disease."

It is estimated that around one in 500 people are affected by Parkinson's disease, with 127,000 people in the UK currently affected by the condition.