Bipolar people are seven times more likely to develop Parkinson's later in life

Suffering from bipolar disorder may put people at greater risk for Parkinson's later in life, new research reveals. 

It's not yet clear what the underlying issues adjoining the two brain disorders, but scientists suspect that factors like inflammation, genetics and and miscommunications between brain cells. 

Bipolar disorder affects some 5.7 million people in the US and becomes a severe impairment for the vast majority of them at some point in their life - more than any other mood disorder. 

Parkinson's remains incurable, and complications are the 14th leading cause of death in the US. 

The researchers at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan hope that uncovering the link between the two devastating conditions may make them more treatable, or even altogether preventable.   

People with bipolar disorder are about seven-times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease later in life, according to a new study from Taiwan

People with bipolar disorder are about seven-times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease later in life, according to a new study from Taiwan 

The team followed over 56,000 people diagnosed with bipolar disorder between 2001 and 2009, plus another 224,360 who had never been  diagnosed with the disorder, through 2011. 

Several differences between the two became clear. 

About seven times the proportion of people with bipolar disorder developed Parkinson's compared to those without the mood disorder. 

To be exact, 0.7 percent of the bipolar group got Parkinson's, while only 0.1 percent of the non-bipolar group did. 

Not only were people with bipolar disorder more likely to develop Parkinson's, but the symptoms came on earlier in life. 

The average Parkinson's patient without bipolar disorder was diagnosed at age 73, and those with bipolar were

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