An estimated 20,000 Swedes suffer from Parkinson’s disease, and 2000 new cases are added every year. In the early stages of the disease, the patient’s mobility is most affected. In later stages, patients can have problems such as sleep disorders, worry, low mood, depression, and dementia. The treatments currently available only address symptom alleviation, mainly by providing the brain with new dopamine. There is a great need to find new drugs that could combat this serious disease.
In the Multipark strategic research area at Lund University, a large research team is working on mapping the development of Parkinson’s disease to find new treatments. Over four years, the researchers have built up a biobank of blood samples. Half of all Parkinson’s patients in Skåne, 1000 people, and an equally large control group matched in terms of gender, age, and location, have submitted blood samples and answered questions in a broad questionnaire that captures everything from lifestyle factors, symptoms, course of the disease and use of medication.
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