Asking about nightmares may pick up Parkinson’s
Screening elderly patients for distressing dreams could identify those at risk of a rapidly progressing form of the disease, says UK neurologist Dr Abidemi Otaiku
Inquiring if older patients are having regular bad dreams could help identify those at risk of Parkinson’s disease, a leading UK neurologist says.
Dr Abidemi Otaiku, from the University of Birmingham, made the call after his analysis of data from 3800 elderly men (mean age 77) found that frequent distressing dreams were a prodromal symptom of the condition.
During the 12-year study, 91 men were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Those who reported having nightmares at least once a week at baseline had double the risk of incident disease than those who had them less frequently, found the study after adjusting for confounders.
