Parkinson's disease and cerebrovascular disease: is there a link? A neurosonological case-control study.

Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) frequently occur in the elderly; however, CVD is not frequent in the PD population. The possible relationship between PD and CVD was studied with controversial findings. More specifically, it is unclear whether PD can be protective against the development of vascular disease. To assess the neurosonological examination of a group of PD patients matched with a control group of patients not affected by PD along with the potential risk of developing CVD in the PD group to evaluate any differences. The analysis of the left common carotid artery (CCA) revealed a mean intima-media thickness (IMT) of 0.77 ± 0.21 mm in the PD group and 0.83 ± 0.17 mm in the control group, while the right CCA mean IMT was 0.61 ± 0.17 mm in the PD patients and 0.98 ± 0.18 mm in the control group. The difference was statistically significant in both sides. PD patients show a lower IMT value in older age (70-80 years) and a reduced cardiovascular risk.