Scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine have found that the drug allopurinol can reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disease. The research was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
The scientists analyzed data from the medical records of 43,000 patients with the neurodegenerative disease and 334,000 healthy people. The aim of the study was to identify prescription drugs associated with a lower risk of three neurodegenerative diseases: Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The researchers found that the strongest risk reduction for the three neurodegenerative diseases was seen with xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase blockers. These drugs containing allopurinol are used for gout. Their use was associated with a 13-34% risk reduction, with an average of 23% for each neurodegenerative disease group.
The researchers also conducted an additional study comparing the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases in patients taking and not taking allopurinol. At the fifth year of follow-up, those who took allopurinol were 23% less likely to develop a neurodegenerative disorder.
More research is needed to find out if gout medications can slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, the scientists said.