does having gout affect parkinson's disease?

does having gout affect parkinson's disease?A close friend of mine was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. He has told me before that he also has gout. I know Parkinson's is a neurological disorder and am not sure exactly what gout is, but does having one effect the other? How so? Will it make either of his symptoms more severe or no?

Mags
It is possible to have both gout and Parkinson's disease although the higher urate levels have been found to be somewhat neuroprotective and seem to reduce the risk.

Gout is described as "a medical condition that usually presents with recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis (red, tender, hot, swollen joint). It is caused by elevated levels of uric acid in the blood. The uric acid crystallizes and deposits in joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues. Gout affects 1% of Western populations at some point in their lives."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gout

One problem about uric acid is that while it is usually a powerful antioxidant, which is needed to fight the antioxidants felt by some to be at the root of PD, it can also act as a pro-oxidant.

Gout is an arthritis is an inflammatory condition. It is interesting that there is a school of thought about Parkinson's disease which describes PD as an inflammatory condition. There are several descriptions about this chronic, progressive, incurable neurodegenerative disease family so this is not an "ah-ha" moment, just an observation at this time.

A two year study at Harvard University Medical School found that people with gout had a lower risk of developing PD and that among those who did, their progression rate was lower.
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/69/17/1696
and the press release:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2007-releases/press06212007.html

The problem for your friend might be that in treating the gout, the urate level would drop and the PD progression could change.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081104132923.htm

You can read more about the relationship in the article below:
http://parkinsonsfocustoday.blogspot.com/2010/01/urate-too-much-of-good-thing-or-just.html
where you will read about a Johns Hopkins study in which it was learned that a malfunctioning gene, ABCG2 appears to "cause the high concentrations of serum urate which crystallizes in body tissues within joints. The result of course is inflammation and pain. The process occurs when ABCG2 doesn't make the protein needed to move the urate from the kidneys and down the drain."

They don't effect each other except in the way described above. They share the commonalities of pain. PD often involves low levels of urate while gout is the opposite. Treating gout might affect the PD progression.

The question that comes to mind is about the PD diagnosis. It is certainly possible to have both conditions but there are differential diagnoses and your friend might want to consider getting a second opinion by a neurologist specializing in movement disorders.

Another concern is the effect that gout has on the kidneys because of the stress which Parkinson's disease medications place on those same organs. Depending upon the PD treatment, and there should certainly be treatment as soon as possible, your friend should have regular tests for liver and kidney function etc.

I wish your friend better health.

Add your own answer in the comments! Gout - information, symptoms and treatments. Googout.info health information factsheet - advice on gout and its symptoms, causes and treatment, plus prevention through diet.

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