People with Autism may face higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, study says

People with autism may be at a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a large-scale study conducted by scientists from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, Azernews reports.

Researchers analyzed health data from over two million individuals born in Sweden between 1974 and 1999, tracking them from age 20 through 2022. The study used national health registries to explore a potential link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition.

Parkinson’s is caused by the destruction of nerve cells responsible for producing dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for motor control. Previous studies have suggested that dopamine-related mechanisms may also be involved in autism.

Even after accounting for known risk factors—such as genetics, depression, and the use of antipsychotic medications—researchers found that individuals diagnosed with autism were nearly twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s compared to those without the diagnosis.

However, the study authors caution against panic:

“It’s important to remember that both conditions are still relatively rare, and the absolute number of cases remains low,” said epidemiologists from the Karolinska Institute.

Published in the journal JAMA Neurology, the findings do not suggest that all people with autism should be screened for Parkinson’s. Instead, the data point to shared biological pathways that may underlie both conditions.

The study observed participants only up to age 50, meaning the findings are primarily relevant to early-onset Parkinson’s.

“It would be valuable to continue monitoring this group to determine whether the risk increases with age,” researchers added. “However, even among those with autism, Parkinson’s remains a rare diagnosis before age 50.”