Occupation and education influence Parkinson's risk

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows a link between years of education and the risk of Parkinson's disease.
We already know that education level is a factor in many chronic diseases. Often higher education is found to be protective - but that's not so in the case of Parkinson's disease, according to a new study.

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic have looked at occupational and educational backgrounds of all the patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in Olmsted County from 1976 to 1995. They find that the disease is more likely among those who have nine or more years of education. Physicians have the highest risk of getting the disease, while construction workers have the lowest risk.

It is not clear why higher education and a high status profession like medicine should increase the risk of Parkinson's disease - one might even expect the opposite to be true. The researchers do not believe the link to be a causal one. It may be that the educational and occupational factors are indirect indicators of something else which influences Parkinson's disease risk - such as level of physical activity, socioeconomic status, or exposure to an environmental hazard.

Source
Neurology 22nd November 2005

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