Could Anti-TNF Therapy Lower Parkinson Disease Risk?

Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk for Parkinson disease (PD), new study findings show.

However, according to the authors of the study, early exposure to anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy is associated with a reduced incidence of PD in this patient population due to the anti-inflammatory effects of these therapies.
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For their study, the researchers evaluated 144,018 individuals with IBD, along with 720,090 matched controls. Patient data from January 1, 2000, and March 31, 2016 were obtained from the Truven Health MarketScan administrative claims database and the Medicare Supplemental Database.

Incidence rates per 1000 person-years were calculated, and Poisson regression models were used to estimate crude and adjusted incidence rate ratios.

Results of the study indicated that 1976 individuals had at least 2 PD diagnoses and at least 1 filled PD-related prescription. In this cohort, the incidence of PD was found to be 28% higher among IBD patients vs controls (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.28).

However, the researchers found that exposure to anti-TNF therapy had resulted in a 78% reduction in the incidence rate of PD among IBD patients compared with non-exposure.

“These findings support a role of systemic inflammation in the pathogenesis of both diseases,” the researchers concluded. “Further studies are required to determine whether anti-TNF treatment administered to high-risk individuals may mitigate PD risk.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Peter I, Dubinsky M, Bressman S, et al. Anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy and incidence of Parkinson disease among patients with inflammatory bowel disease [Published online April 23, 2018]. JAMA Neurol. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.0605