Shared Molecular Targets in Parkinson’s Disease and Arterial Hypertension: A Systematic Review

Abstract

(1) Background: Parkinson’s disease and arterial hypertension are likely to coexist in the elderly, with possible bidirectional interactions. We aimed to assess the role of antihypertensive agents in PD emergence and/or progression. (2) We performed a systematic search on the PubMed database. Studies enrolling patients with Parkinson’s disease who underwent treatment with drugs pertaining to one of the major antihypertensive drug classes (β-blockers, diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers and calcium-channel blockers) prior to or after the diagnosis of parkinsonism were scrutinized. We divided the outcome into two categories: neuroprotective and disease-modifying effect. (3) We included 20 studies in the qualitative synthesis, out of which the majority were observational studies, with only one randomized controlled trial. There are conflicting results regarding the effect of antihypertensive drugs on Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis, mainly because of heterogeneous protocols and population. (4) Conclusions: There is low quality evidence that antihypertensive agents might be potential therapeutic targets in Parkinson’s disease, but this hypothesis needs further testing.