Early onset of Sporadic Parkinson’s disease (PD) Among Persons Exposed to Metals and Pesticides

What is it about?

This original research looks at the age at onset of sporadic PD as a function of exposure duration among subjects occupationally exposed to metals and pesticides. The results of this study indicate that a younger age at onset of sporadic PD is seen among subjects in the high exposure group (those with the longest duration of exposure ). These results provide support for a dose response relationship between duration of exposure to metals and pesticides and age at onset of sporadic PD.

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Photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash

Photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is important because it serves as the bedrock for a growing body of literature indicating that age at onset of PD is modifiable by environmental factors. The subjects in this study who all had no family history of PD (i.e., sporadic PD) were derived from the same population demographic as the subjects in the GENEPD study of familial PD. A related GENEPD study demonstrated that genes involved in chemical detoxification interact with exposure herbicides to influence age at onset in familial PD (Wilk et al 2006). The results of a subsequent study by Gamache and colleagues (2019) designed to build on our earlier findings has replicated and expanded on our results providing additional support for the thesis that exposure to metals and pesticides modifies onset age in PD.

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