Research uncovers why men face increased Parkinson’s risk

Researchers in Denmark are one step closer to understanding why more men than women are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

In a the new study, researchers at Aarhus University shed light on a specific receptor called CD163, a protein expressed mainly in blood-immune phagocytic cells.

This protein is involved in the immune response during the neurodegenerative process associated with the aggregation of a-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease.

The protein seems to play a specific and protective role in the body’s defence against the damages related to the disease, the researchers discovered.

Study lead Professor Marina Romero-Ramos said: “Our study suggests that CD163 is involved in the mechanism controlling the entrance of lymphocytes in the brain during neurodegeneration.”

This finding suggest that the increased expression of CD163 in patients with Parkinson’s disease might be a compensatory mechanism aiming at the protection of neurons—particularly in females.

The research team hopes that the study will increase research focus on both the immune system and the involvement of sex differences in the disease.

Romero-Ramos said: “We believe that the sex differences observed in the risk to develop PD, higher in males, as well as the disparities in the disease presentation between sexes might be due to differences in the immune response.”

The risk of developing Parkinson’s is twice as high in men than in women, research has shown.

However, women have a higher mortality rate, with the disease progressing at a faster rate.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 8.5 million people live with the condition globally.