(HealthDay News) — Osteoarthritis may be associated with the risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, especially among patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis, according to a study published online June 8 in Arthritis Care & Research.

Shih-Hao Feng, M.D., from the National Taiwan University Hospital Chu-Tung branch, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 to examine the risk for Parkinson’s disease among patients with osteoarthritis. A total of 33,360 patients aged 50 to 64 years with osteoarthritis were enrolled and compared with a control group of 33,360 age- and sex-matched individuals without osteoarthritis.

The researchers found that the risk for developing Parkinson’s disease was significantly increased for the osteoarthritis group (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.41). Relative to the comparison group, the osteoarthritis group also had significantly lower Parkinson’s-free survival. In a subgroup analysis, patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis had an increased magnitude of Parkinson’s disease risk compared with those with non-knee and non-hip osteoarthritis or with uncategorized osteoarthritis (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.55 versus 1.42 and 1.32, respectively).

“Coexisting osteoarthritis and Parkinson’s disease can additively increase the risk of falling. Moreover, osteoarthritis-related mobility impairments may mask early motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease,” a coauthor said in a statement. “Health professionals need to be alert to the potential link between these two diseases.”

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