Questions about MG and Parkinsons

Nurses General Nursing

Published

hi

i have a few questions about mysthenia gravis (mg), parkisons disease (pd) and alzheimers and they are:

  1. can a patient have mg and pd at the same time? if yes how is it possible, if no why is it impossible

  1. can someone get alzheimers as a complication of pd?

please help me answer these questions before i go back to work on monday (7am).

thanks

grace.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
hi

i have a few questions about mysthenia gravis (mg), parkisons disease (pd) and alzheimers and they are:

  1. can a patient have mg and pd at the same time? if yes how is it possible, if no why is it impossible

  1. can someone get alzheimers as a complication of pd?

please help me answer these questions before i go back to work on monday (7am).

thanks

grace.

i have cared for many patients with parkinson's and alzheimer's-(i don't know how many were worked up by geri psych,neuro or even autopsied to confirm the diagnosis) .i'm not sure if there is a link or if it's an unfortunant double whammy.i've not cared for anyone with mg in years i'll be interested to hear what others have to say on it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
hi

i have a few questions about mysthenia gravis (mg), parkisons disease (pd) and alzheimers and they are:

  1. can a patient have mg and pd at the same time? if yes how is it possible, if no why is it impossible

its possible but would be unusual. parkinson's is thought to be caused by a decrease in dopamine production and possible loss of dopamine receptors. myasthenia gravis is caused by autoantibodies that block acetylcholine receptors. parkinson's in generally genetic while mg is an autoimmune disease (which may have a genetic component). the reason that i say this is unlikely is that mg is very rare and parkinson's is one of the most common neurological disorders. there is some overlap in symptom but mg can usually be diagnosed with blood work and physical exam. diagnosis of parkinson's on the other hand is entirely clinical. given the overall incidence of mg someone would have to be very unlucky to have both parkinson's and mg. if there are positive ab's then it could be considered.

  1. can someone get alzheimers as a complication of pd?

please help me answer these questions before i go back to work on monday (7am).

thanks

grace.

no one knows the cause of alzheimers (ad). it is postulated that it is caused by abnormal amyloid beta which affects neuronal mitochondria eventually leading to amyloid plaques in the brain and decrease of cognitive function.

the ultimate answer is no ad is probably not a cause of pd. they are both relatively prevalent diseases so it would be possible to have both. clinically these are opposite sides of the coin. ad leaves the body relatively healthy and does not usually affect motor neurons until the end. pd leaves cognition relatively intact and instead affects motor neurons.

to differentiate between all three of these diseases (they do have some clinical overlap) is the province of a good experienced neurophsychiatrist.

david carpenter, pa-c

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing Home ,Dementia Care,Neurology..

There is a type of dementia known as Lewy body dementia where the patient exhibits Parkinson like symptoms as well as dementia.Also some of the older psychotropic meds caused Parkinson- like side effects.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
can someone get Alzheimers as a complication of PD?

While not alzheimer's dementia, approximately one third of Parkinson's patients end up with dementia as the disease progresses. In many cases, the dementia is thought to be due to the Parkinson's disease process.

Here's a source:

"In terms of coincident dementia, a prospective cohort study in New York City revealed that 19.2% of patients with PD developed dementia after 2 years of follow-up care. The relative risk for developing dementia with PD (vs patients without PD) was 1.7, with a 95% confidence interval (1.1-2.7) after adjusting for age, education, and sex."

http://www.emedicine.com/Med/topic3110.htm

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

Here's another source:

"CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PD have an almost sixfold increased risk for becoming demented compared with subjects without PD. "

http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/56/6/730

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Here's another source:

"CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PD have an almost sixfold increased risk for becoming demented compared with subjects without PD. "

http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/56/6/730

The part that I find interesting is that while there is a strong genetic component, there is a four fold increase if you have had a head injury. You only have to look at Muhammad Ali to understand this.

David Carpenter, PA-C

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
The part that I find interesting is that while there is a strong genetic component, there is a four fold increase if you have had a head injury. You only have to look at Muhammad Ali to understand this.

David Carpenter, PA-C

Yes. And there is a significant correlation w/Parkinson's and pesticide exposure.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes, it is possible. Look up on Google, Myasthenia+ Parkinson's. Also Pubmed. I hope this helps you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment