Affiliations: [a] Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| [b] Department of Neurology, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| [c] Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Norbert Brüggemann, MD, Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany. Tel.: +49 451 500 43420; Fax: +49 451 500 43424; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) carrying variants in the Glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene (GBA-PD) suffer from orthostatic symptoms more frequently than idiopathic PD patients (IPD). Systematic measurements of the blood pressure have not yet been performed. In the present study, a prospective analysis of 33 GBA-PD and 313 IPD patients was carried out. Systolic blood pressure upon changing from the supine to the upright position dropped more strongly in GBA-PD compared to IPD patients. Diastolic blood pressure and heart rate did not differ between groups. This study provides further evidence for a pronounced involvement of the autonomic nervous system in GBA-PD.