El ibuprofeno, uno de los antiinflamatorios no esteroideos (AINE) más populares, podría funcionar como un protector frente al párkinson, según un nuevo estudio realizado por la Escuela de Salud de la Universidad de Harvard (HSPH), cuyos resultados muestran que los adultos que toman regularmente este fármaco tienen un 30% menos de riesgo de desarrollar la enfermedad que los que no lo toman.
«No hay cura para la enfermedad de Parkinson, por lo que la posibilidad de que el ibuprofeno, un medicamento relativamente no tóxico, pueda ayudar a proteger contra la enfermedad es fascinante», asegura el autor principal de la investigación, Alberto Ascherio, profesor de epidemiología y nutrición en la HSPH.
La hipótesis del estudio, que se publica en la revista Neurology es que el ibuprofeno podría reducir la inflamación en el cerebro que contribuye a la enfermedad de Parkinson.
Investigaciones previas ya habían demostrado esta teoría, pero no se había diferenciado entre el ibuprofeno y otros tipos de antiinflamatorios.
En el estudio los investigadores analizaron datos tomados de 99.000 enfermeras y 37.000 hombres profesionales de la salud, que informaron sobre su consumo de ibuprofeno y otros AINE. Tras seis años, 291 participantes (156 hombres y 135 mujeres) fueron diagnosticados con enfermedad de Parkinson.
Los científicos descubrieron que las personas que tomaban ibuprofeno dos o más veces por semana tenían un 38 por ciento menos de riesgo de desarrollar enfermedad de Parkinson en comparación con aquellos que no tomaban el fármaco.
Después de un análisis más grande que combinó otros estudios sobre el uso de ibuprofeno y AINE, los investigadores descubrieron que los consumidores de ibuprofeno tenían un 27 por ciento menos de riesgo de desarrollar la enfermedad en comparación con los no consumidores.
El coautor de la investigación, Xiang Gao, sugiere que el ibuprofeno podría ser «un potencial agente neuroprotector, aunque, el mecanismo exacto se desconoce».
Pero los investigadores advierten que esto no significa que las personas que ya tienen la enfermedad de Parkinson deban empezar a tomar ibuprofeno. «Aunque generalmente se percibe como seguro, el ibuprofeno puede tener efectos adversos, tales como el aumento del riesgo de sangrado gastrointestinal. Si este riesgo se ve compensado por una disminución de la progresión de la enfermedad debe ser investigado bajo la supervisión rigurosa en un ensayo clínico aleatorio», añade Ascherio.
Ibuprofen May Reduce Risk of Developing Parkinson's Disease, Study Suggests
A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers shows that adults who regularly take ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), have about one-third less risk of developing Parkinson's disease than non-users.
"There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, so the possibility that ibuprofen, an existing and relatively non-toxic drug, could help protect against the disease is captivating," said senior author Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at HSPH.
The study will be published online March 2, 2011, in Neurology and is scheduled to appear in the March 8, 2011, print issue.
Parkinson's disease, a progressive nervous disease occurring generally after age 50, affects at least half a million Americans, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. About 50,000 new cases are reported each year, with the number expected to increase as the U.S. population ages. It is hypothesized that ibuprofen may reduce inflammation in the brain that may contribute to the disease.
Prior studies showed a reduced Parkinson's disease risk among NSAIDS users, but most did not differentiate between ibuprofen and other non-aspirin NSAIDs.
In the new study, Ascherio, lead author Xiang Gao, research scientist at HSPH and associate epidemiologist in the Channing Laboratory at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and colleagues analyzed data from nearly 99,000 women enrolled in the Brigham and Women's Hospital-based Nurses' Health Study and over 37,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. The researchers identified 291 cases (156 men and 135 women) of Parkinson's disease during their six-year follow-up study (1998-2004 in women; 2000-2006 in men). Based on questionnaires, the researchers analyzed the patients' use of ibuprofen (e.g. Advil, Motrin, Nuprin), aspirin or aspirin-containing products, other anti-inflammatory pain relievers (e.g., Aleve, Naprosyn), and acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol). (Although not an NSAID, acetaminophen was included because it's similarly used to treat pain.) Age, smoking, diet, caffeine, and other variables also were considered.
"We observed that men and women who used ibuprofen two or more times per week were about 38% less likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those who regularly used aspirin, acetaminophen, or other NSAIDs," Gao said. "Our findings suggest that ibuprofen could be a potential neuroprotective agent against Parkinson's disease, however, the exact mechanism is unknown."
These findings raise hope that a readily available, inexpensive drug could help to treat Parkinson's disease. "Because the loss of brain cells that leads to Parkinson's disease occurs over a decade or more, a possible explanation of our findings is that use of ibuprofen protects these cells. If so, use of ibuprofen could help slow the disease's progression," Gao said.
The findings do not mean that people who already have Parkinson's disease should begin taking ibuprofen, Ascherio added. "Although generally perceived as safe, ibuprofen can have side effects, such as increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Whether this risk is compensated by a slowing of the disease progression should be investigated under rigorous supervision in a randomized clinical trial," he said.
Support for the study was provided by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Intramural Research Program of NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
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