Is Seborrhea a Sign of Autonomic Impairment in Parkinson's Disease?

The 1997 study involving 70 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and 60 normal subjects found that sebum excretion rate (SER) was higher in males, particularly in those with PD, suggesting a link with androgens or testosterone rather than autonomic nervous system abnormalities. The study concluded that seborrhea in PD might be related to increased pituitary MSH release, but not to age, duration of L-dopa treatment, or the presence of DA agonists. Mild autonomic impairment was observed in PD patients, but it was not significantly associated with SER. The findings indicate that further research is needed to explore the roles of MSH and testosterone in seborrhea among PD patients.