Association between Hypertension and the Risk of Parkinson's Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Analytical Studies.

BACKGROUND

The results of analytical studies show that the association between hypertension and the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains controversial.

METHOD

We searched studies related to the association between hypertension and the risk of PD. We pooled the ORs and risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) with random effects model and conducted meta-regression to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Publication bias was estimated by Egger's test and the funnel plot.

RESULTS

Twenty-six articles containing 27 studies were included, involving 9 cohort studies and 18 case-control studies. In cohort studies, compared with the non-hypertension participants, the pooled RR for the risk of PD was 1.70 (95% CI 1.60-1.80) for the patients with hypertension. In case-control studies, compared with the non-hypertension participants, the pooled OR for the risk of PD was 0.85 (95% CI 0.78-0.92) for the patients with hypertension. There were no publication bias in cohort studies and case-control studies.

CONCLUSION

Based on population-based cohort studies, this meta-analysis indicated that hypertension might increase the risk of PD. In view of both hypertension and PD having an association with aging, case-control studies, especially the studies based on hospital records, were not suitable for similar studies.