PhD defence L.J. (Lisanne) Dommershuijsen

Dissertation in short:

Parkinson's disease has a major impact on the daily lives of people who live with this disease and their loved ones. It is therefore of great importance to unravel the causes of Parkinson’s disease, to earlier recognize the disease and to increase our understanding of the disease progression. The aim of this dissertation was to obtain population-based insights into the early stages of Parkinson's disease to enable future prevention of Parkinson's disease.

First, this dissertation discussed two possible causes of Parkinson’s disease. A protective effect of the Mediterranean diet was shown on the risk of Parkinson's disease. However, markers of the immune system were not related to the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Second, early recognition of Parkinson's was discussed. This dissertation showed that orthostatic hypotension, a drop in blood pressure upon standing, is not an early symptom of Parkinson's disease. Moreover, ethical dilemmas related to REM sleep behavior disorder, a sleep disorder with a high risk of developing Parkinson's disease, were discussed. 

Third, this dissertation discussed the impact and prognosis of Parkinson’s disease. An important effect of the perceived COVID-19 related stress on mental health was found in people with Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, a shortened life expectancy of an average of 2 to 4 years in people with Parkinson's disease was described.

This dissertation showed that population-wide studies of Parkinson's disease are essential to gain more insight into the early stages of Parkinson's disease and to enable the prevention of Parkinson's disease.