Lung function and the risk of Parkinson's disease: a population-based cohort study

Some researchers have noted a faster decline in lung function among Parkinson's disease (PD) patients compared to healthy individuals. However, the relationship between lung function and the risk of developing PD remains unknown. This study aims to explore the association between lung function and the risk to develop PD.

Based on the UK Biobank, Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the relationship between lung function measurements, including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and peak expiratory flow (PEF), and FEV1/FVC, and the risk of PD. Furthermore, this study constructed a lung function score and explore the relationship between the lung function score and PD risk. This study also conducted mediation analysis using blood inflammatory markers and metabolic indicators as mediators.

This study included a total of 322,731 participants. We identified a correlation between lower lung function measures, particularly PEF and the lung function score we generated, and an increased risk of PD. Our mediation analysis highlighted several inflammatory markers, such as eosinophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, neutrophil, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, systemic immune-inflammatory index, and reticulocyte, as mediators in the relationship between PEF and PD.

Declining lung function, especially PEF and the lung function score we generated, could serve as a potential indicator for predicting the risk of PD. Inflammatory changes play a crucial role in the association, highlighting the significance of inflammatory alterations in the pathophysiology of PD.