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Background: The relationship between Parkinson's disease (PD) and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease is not yet well established. Recent data suggest an increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke in PD patients. Therefore, we designed a study to assess surrogate markers of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk in PD., Methods: We conducted a case-control study comparing PD patients recruited from a Movement Disorders Unit with controls randomly invited from a primary healthcare center. All participants underwent a detailed clinical evaluation, including medical history, physical assessment, carotid ultrasound, blood and urine analysis, and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. The primary outcome was the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT)., Results: We included 102 participants in each study arm. No significant difference was found in the CIMT among groups (MD: 0.01, 95% CI: -0.02, 0.04). Carotid plaques were more frequent in PD patients (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.02, 3.55), although the lipid profile was more favorable in this group (LDL MD: -18.75; 95% CI: -10.69, -26.81). Nocturnal systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in PD patients (MD: 4.37, 95% CI: 0.27, 8.47) and more than half of the PD patients were non-dippers or reverse dippers (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.04, 3.20)., Conclusion: We did not find a difference in CIMT between PD and controls. A higher frequency of carotid plaques and abnormal dipper profile supports the hypothesis that PD patients are not protected from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease., (© 2021 European Academy of Neurology.)

Background and Purpose: The impact of Parkinson's disease (PD) on the risk of cardiovascular disease is poorly known. The aim was to systematically review observational studies evaluating the association between PD and cardiovascular events., Methods: MEDLINE through PubMed, the Web of Science and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials with conference proceedings were searched from inception to 4 July 2019. Two reviewers independently selected studies comparing cardiovascular events between Parkinson's disease and control groups. Ischaemic stroke, myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality were the outcomes of interest. Pooled estimates of odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were derived by random effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 test. The study protocol was registered at PROSPERO: CRD42017076527., Results: Eleven studies were included: nine cohort studies and two case-control studies. PD was associated with a significantly increased risk of stroke (nine studies: OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.19, 2.34; I 2  = 50%). No significant differences were detected regarding myocardial infarction risks (eight studies: OR 1.15, 95% CI 0.72, 1.83; I 2  = 76%) nor cardiovascular mortality risks (seven studies: OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.85, 1.45; I 2  = 47%) in PD patients., Conclusions: The best evidence available showed an association between PD and increased risk of stroke. The risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality was not different in PD and non-PD individuals., (© 2019 European Academy of Neurology.)