Beta-adrenoceptor drugs and progression to Parkinson’s disease milestones in a large pooled incident cohort
Publication: NPJ Parkinson’s Disease
Ruwani S. Wijeyekoon, Marta Camacho, David Bäckström, Lars Forsgren, Rachael A. Lawson, Alison J. Yarnall, Angus D. Macleod, Carl E. Counsell, Ole-Bjørn Tysnes, Guido Alves, Jodi Maple-Grødem, Roger A. Barker & Caroline H. Williams-Gray
03 July 2025
Abstract
Beta-adrenoceptor-blockers and agonists have been associated with an increased and decreased risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD), respectively. We aimed to investigate whether these medications are linked to a difference in how patients with PD responded and how their PD progressed.
Data were collected from participants of the the Parkinson’s Incident Cohorts Collaboration (n = 1107) over a period of time and analysed.
Baseline clinical status and progression to Hoehn & Yahr stage 3 (H&Y3) or dementia were compared in beta-blocker or beta-agonist users versus non-users of each drug. Baseline motor and cognitive variables were similar in beta-blocker users (n = 195) versus non-users and beta-agonist users (n = 68) versus non-users, following adjustment for relevant confounders.
Beta-blocker users (n = 156) progressed faster to H&Y3 (p = 0.002), accounting for relevant confounders (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 1.538; p = 0.011), while beta-agonist users (n = 54) progressed similarly to non-users. Neither drug was associated with progression to dementia.
These findings support the possibility that beta-adrenoceptor drugs may have potential to change PD progression.
Further investigation is essential to identify any causative component in the relationship.
