Pesticides increase Parkinson's disease risk

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows that men with Parkinson's diease were more likely to have had exposure to pesticides.
It has long been debated whether some form of environmental pollution exposure is responsible for Parkinson's disease. Now a team at the Mayo Clinic has uncovered a link with pesticides.

They identified all of those in the local area who had been identified as suffering from Parkinson's disease between 1976 and 1995. Each one was matched with a similar person who did not have Parkinson's. All were asked about exposure to chemicals, including pesticides.

The findings revealed that men with Parkison's were 2.4 times more likely to have been exposed to pesticides than those who had not. There was no such link for women and the researchers wonder if maybe estogen has some kind of protective effect. Further research is needed to see what level of exposure to pesticides poses a risk and also whether the link is actually a causal one.

Source
Movement Disorders June 2006

Please take a moment to give us your comments. For questions about Health matters you may check our "Questions & Answers" Portal and Service.