Researchers in Switzerland found that patients on a regime of channel calcium blocker medication for hypertension for an extended period of time had a 23 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson's than patients not taking that type of drug.
The study also investigated other types of high blood pressure medication including ACE inhibitors, ATII antagonists and beta blockers but none appeared to have the same protective effect of the calcium channel blockers.
"Long-term use of calcium channel blockers was associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease, while no such association was seen for other high blood pressure medications," said Christoph Meier, lead author of the paper and a researcher at University Hospital in Switzerland.
The study consisted of over 7,000 men and women over the age of 40 but did not investigate the mechanism that causes the drugs to lower the risk of getting Parkinson's.
The types of calcium channel blockers studies include drugs such as: Adalat, Cardizem, Dilacor and Procardia.
Approximately 1.2 million Americans and Canadians suffer from Pakinson's a chronic, progressive and degenerative disease of the central nervous system that affects motor skills and speech.
[Source:YahooNews]
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