Chronic Allergies May be Linked to Parkinsons Disease

From Timesonline.co.uk

A study by US scientists has shown that sufferers of allergic rhinitis, a condition that causes symptoms of having a “permanent cold”, appear to be at much greater risk of the degenerative neurological condition. The research, which explored possible links between conditions that cause inflammation and the breakdown of brain cells, found a marked increase in cell death in rhinitis sufferers.

In the paper, published this week in the journal Neurology, they speculate that the inflammation produced by the allergy may release certain chemicals in the brain and inadvertently kill brain cells, as seen in conditions such as Parkinson’s. Between 8,000 and 10,000 Britons have Parkinson’s diagnosed each year, although experts say that in many other cases it is mistakenly identified as a different condition. Read More

NOTE: data is sourced from Neurology, but linked article comes form Timesonline.co.uk. The Journal of Neurology is a fee based site.

Inflammation and Depression

From ScienceDaily.com and Emory University Health Sciences Center

Individuals with major depression have an exaggerated inflammatory response to psychological stress compared to those who do not suffer from depression, according to a study by researchers at Emory University School of Medicine. Because an overactive inflammatory response may contribute to a number of medical disorders as well as to depression, the findings suggest that increased inflammatory responses to stress in depressed patients may be a link between depression and other diseases, including heart disease, as well as contributing to depression itself. Read More.