Suffering from it could increase your risk of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease affects nearly a million people in the United States. It is a condition that weakens and interferes with movement and increasingly restricts people’s lives. There is no cure for what drives many researchers to seek answers and better understanding.

A new study suggests that having the flu can increase your chances of developing Parkinson’s later in your life by 90%.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

The study, published in JAMA Neurology, had access to Danish databases and examined data from 10,231 men and women who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s between 2000 and 2013. These data were then correlated with a control group and matched by age and gender, while also tracking their flu infections since 1977.

The study showed that those who had at some point contracted the flu were more than 70 percent likely to develop Parkinson’s disease within 10 years compared to those who never contracted the virus. Within 15 years, more than 90% of these people developed the disease.

RELATED: Cold, COVID, or Flu? Here are some of the key differences you should know about

The reason why Parkinson’s disease affects so many is still not understood. There are many theories in which researchers speculate about human environmental conditions and genetic makeup. They also found links between viral infections, mostly influenza, and parkisone, considering that the disease increased after the 1918 flu pandemic.

The connection between flu and Parkinson’s is not yet clear, but it offers enough incentive to get regular preventive vaccinations against the flu.

RELATED: For Older Adults, This Is the Type of Exercise That Is Most Effective

“But if there is a connection with Parkinson’s, vaccination would reduce your risk. Still, it’s pretty obvious that many things can cause Parkinson’s. Infection can be one of many causes, ”lead author Noelle Cocoros told the Economic Times.

Photo by joeypistachio via Pexels

While the study’s results are interesting, they do not imply causality. Having the flu at any point doesn’t mean Parkinson’s later, but it does give people enough encouragement to get vaccinated as a preventative measure. The study also shows that parkisone and viral infections are a topic worth investigating as it could shed light on the subject of infections and their effects on our bodies many years later.