What Are Risk Factors For Parkinson’s Disease

Advancing Age Is The Leading Risk Factor For Pd But Genetics Brain Injury And Exposure To Toxins May Play A Role Too

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects approximately one million people in the U.S., and, to date, there is no cure for it. While effective treatments do exist to help you manage a wide array of PD symptoms, they cannot slow the progression of disease. And it’s not yet known whether, or how, the disease can be prevented. To solve that mystery, scientists first will have to unravel another riddle: what causes PD and which risks can up your odds for this condition to develop later on. Sharing leading-edge research and expert knowledge, we’ll tell you all we know.

Dichotomisation Was Used In The Assessment Of The Level Of Physical Activity And Smoking Habits

Four levels of physical activity resulted in three levels tested in relation to inactive habits. The first level was somewhat active, the second level was more active and the third level was high activity, including sports and rational training.

Six levels of smoking information resulted in two groups to compare with non-smokers. The first group was current smokers and ex-smokers and the second group was former smokers with former ex-smokers.

At the time of the health-care visit, serum triglycerides , serum cholesterol, waist/height, BMI, BP and blood glucose from oral glucose tolerance test were assessed and examined by univariate comparisons between cases and controls, and if significant, they were included in the conditional logistic regression.

Prior Stroke And Other Cerebrovascular Risk Factors Linked With Parkinsons Disease

Dr. Babak Navi

Medical conditions and health habits that affect blood flow in the brain—or cerebrovascular risk factors—are associated with a subsequent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study from Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.

The findings, published Aug. 29 in the Annals of Neurology, opens the door to investigating whether better management of cerebrovascular risk factors such as prior stroke, hypertension, diabetes and tobacco use, may help to prevent Parkinson’s disease.

The link between cerebrovascular risk factors and Parkinson’s disease is “similar to the already established relationship between such risk factors and Alzheimer’s disease, although slightly attenuated,” said senior study author Dr. Babak Navi, the Florence Gould Foundation Research Scholar for Discovery in Stroke, an associate professor of neurology in the Department of Neurology and an associate professor of neuroscience in the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine.  

During a five-year period, 15,531 of the patients, or about 1.5 percent, received a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, while 81,974, or nearly 8 percent, developed Alzheimer’s disease.  

Obstructive sleep apnea can increase a person’s risk of hypertension or stroke, which may be why the sleep disorder was closely linked with Parkinson’s. The association of obstructive sleep apnea with Parkinson’s disease was even stronger than Alzheimer’s, Dr. Navi said.

Environmental Risk Factors For Parkinson’s Disease: The Epidemiologic Evidence

Bruce S. Schoenberg

Affiliation:Neuroepidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland and the Department of Neurology, Georgetown, University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.

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The Predigt Score: Calculating Parkinson Disease Risk In Healthy Adults

The idea of creating a mathematical model to predict who will develop Parkinson’s disease struck Dr. Michael Schlossmacher as he read Brilliant Blunders, a book about the significance of the mistakes five great scientists made.

“The book is about understanding how errors are made, in part by quantifying risks,” says Schlossmacher, a neurologist and professor at the University of Ottawa. “That made me think of other things we have already quantified and calculated in life … and I became intrigued by whether we could do that for Parkinson’s risk.”

Schlossmacher is convinced that by entering known risk factors for Parkinson’s into his model, it is indeed possible to predict who will get the disease.

Researchers already know that age, chronic constipation, a reduced sense of smell, family history, chronic inflammation such as hepatitis or certain types of gastritis, certain environmental exposures, chronic infections, and gender are all risk factors. Men, for example, are 1.5-2 times more likely than women to develop Parkinson’s.

Schlossmacher and his colleagues, including Dr. Tiago Mestre and Dr. Doug Manuel, are combing through databases that include case files and histories of people doctors have followed over time. By entering data points they collect from those files into the model, and then comparing that to a subsequent diagnosis, they’ll test the accuracy of their predictive scores.

“It’s not only a mind exercise, it’s a very doable project,” Schlossmacher says.

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What Are The Chances Of Getting Parkinsons If My Siblings Have It

Three older siblings have Parkinson’s disease, but the three younger siblings have shown no symptoms yet. Genetic testing for Parkinson’s can give answers.

Dr. Zbigniew K. Wszolek responds:

The chance that you have the genetic form of Parkinson’s disease is relatively high, but it’s impossible to say how high without knowing more about your family history. For example, knowing if you have a parent or grandparent with Parkinson’s can clarify whether your family carries one of five major genes thought to cause the disease.

The best advice I can give you would be to visit a genetic clinic—available at most major universities—where you can undergo a test to learn whether you are a genetic carrier or not. A genetic counselor can also explain to you the pros and cons of testing. It’s important to realize that knowing you are a mutation carrier will not change anything, because we don’t have a treatment available to halt progression of the disease. But some people are interested in genetic testing because they feel they can use the information to modify their lifestyle; some may choose not have children, for example, while others may decide to join clinical trials. Also, knowing whether or not you are a gene carrier may bring some peace of mind.

Is Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Worse Than Parkinsons

Serious challenges include major fractures, pneumonia, head injury, and choking due to coughing. There is an increased chance of mortality caused due to pneumonia.

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Incidence Of Hospitalized Cases Of Parkinson’s Disease

The incidence rate of PD was 13.3 per 100,000 person-years in all hospitalized participants , but incidence rate varied by age, sex, and region. The incidence rate increased with age from 1.6 per 100,000 person-years in those aged ?50 years at baseline, to 48.8 per 100,000 person-years for participants over 70 years of age at baseline. PD incidence rates were higher in men than in women . Similarly, PD incidence rates were slightly higher in urban than in rural regions .

Sensitivity analyses excluding the first 3 years of follow-up did not alter the observed associations of smoking, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes with PD. However, sensitivity analysis revealed a higher risk of PD for overweight or obese vs. nonoverweight or obese participants . Analyses of overweight or obesity with PD in the subset of never smokers after adjustment for confounders and by exclusion of the first 3 years of follow-up were unaltered. Assuming overweight or obesity status is causal for an increased risk of PD, population attributable fractions based on the fully adjusted HR indicate that overweight or obesity accounted for approximately 7.9% of all hospitalized cases of PD.

Type 2 Diabetes And The Risk Of Parkinson’s Disease

https://doi.org/10.2337/dc06-2011

What Is The Number One Risk Factor For Parkinson’s

Age is the greatest risk factor. About 1% of those over 60 and 5% of those over 85 are diagnosed with it. The increased risk is due to decreasing levels of dopamine metabolism and other changes that make the neurons vulnerable.

Factors That Protect Against Parkinsons Disease

Besides these risk factors, researchers have identified others that are associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease onset, including:

• Caffeine. People who consume more caffeine appear to have a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease as opposed to those who only consume a little caffeine or none at all.
• Cigarette smoking. A number of studies have found that people who smoke cigarettes are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those who don’t. But, in fact, it may be that some effect of having Parkinson’s disease makes it less likely that a person would want to smoke, so fewer people with the disease are smokers, skewing the data in favor of those who do smoke. And considering that the dangers of cigarette smoking far outweigh the odds that smoking slightly reduces the risk of Parkinson’s disease, it is never recommended as a prevention measure for Parkinson’s disease.

The Questionnaire And The Vascular Risk Factors

The questionnaire used at the occasion of a health-care visit covers, besides traditional cardiovascular risk factors, socioeconomic and psychosocial conditions, self-rated health, personal health history and family history of CVD and diabetes among other important environmental conditions, including assessments of educational level, leisure activities, diet and smoking habits.

Key Gene Mutations Associated With Parkinsons

There are forms of Parkinson’s that appear to be influenced by genetic defects that run in families. We tend to see this with early-onset forms of the disease wherein symptoms being to appear far earlier than average onset age of 60.

One type of genetic mutation associated with familial parkinsonism is in the so-called SNCA gene. This is the gene linked with the production of alpha-synuclein protein, a biomolecule which can contribute to abnormalities in nerve cells. While rare in the general population, the SNCA gene mutation has been identified in around two percent of families affected by Parkinson’s.

In 2004, scientists discovered a similar genetic mutation in a number of families in whom multiple members had been affected. The so-called LRRK2 mutation is today linked to about one to two percent of all Parkinson cases, mostly affecting people of Jewish, Ashkenazi, North African Arab-Berber, or Basque origin.

Another mutation involving the GBA gene is already known to cause Gaucher’s disease . Research has since shown that the GBA mutation is present in a significant number of people with Parkinson’s, suggesting a causal link between the mutation and the disease.

Can Parkinsons Be Passed From Parent To Child

It’s rare for Parkinson’s disease to be passed down from parent to child. Most cases of Parkinson’s aren’t hereditary. But people who get early-onset Parkinson’s disease are more likely to have inherited it.

Risk factors for Parkinson’s disease include:

Causes And Risk Factors Of Parkinsons Disease

Genetics aside, environmental risk factors include head injury, area of residence, occupation, solvents and polychlorinated biphenyls, as well as exposure to pesticides, herbicides, and metals. Head injury refers to a traumatic brain injury that alters the level of consciousness, which seems to increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease some years later. As for area of residence and occupation, there are differences in both the geographic distribution of Parkinson’s disease and the incidence of Parkinson’s disease in certain occupational categories. Pesticide and herbicide exposure are linked to Parkinson’s disease, while metal exposure seems to be related to its development, but the exact connection is not entirely understood. Lastly, high concentrations of PCBs have been found in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease.

Apart from potential genetic causes and environmental risk factors, other risk factors include age and gender. More specifically, the number of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease increases with age, regardless of sex, and approximately 1 percent of people over the age of 60 have the disease. As for gender, men are more likely to have Parkinson’s disease than women. In rare cases, Parkinsonian symptoms can be caused by MPTP. This is a toxic impurity that can be found in the recreational drug MPPP, or desmethylprodine, which is a synthetic opioid.

Resources:

Are You Having Symptoms Of Parkinson Disease

This tool is a Parkinson disease symptoms checker. It gathers the most important signs, symptoms, and risk factors for this condition. Therefore, anybody who uses the tool. It will help in determining the likelihood of having Parkinson disease. The most important feature of this tool is that it is free and would only take you a few minutes.

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Caregiving For People Living With Parkinsons

Caring for a loved one with PD can be a challenging job, especially as the disease progresses. Former caregivers of a loved one with PD suggest doing the following : Get prepared, Take care of yourself, Get help , Work to maintain a good relationship with your loved one, and Encourage the person with PD for whom you care, to stay active.

Preparing for caregiving starts with education. Reading this fact sheet is a good start. More resources are available to you in theResources section of this fact sheet. Early Parkinson’s disease usually requires more emotional support and less hands-on care. It is a good time for family members/caregivers to educate themselves about the disease.

Do All Parkinsons Patients Develop Dementia

Although dementia is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia may occur in Parkinson’s disease affecting approximately 70% of the patients.

Alzheimer’s affect memory and language in general terms. Still, in Parkinson’s, it affects problem-solving capacity, speed of thinking, memory, and they run with mild cognitive impairment.

The Importance Of Recognizing Early Symptoms

A lot of people believe Parkinson’s early symptoms are natural symptoms of aging. They can not seek support, for that reason.

However, medication is more likely to be successful if a person takes it early on in Parkinson’s disease development. For this reason, early diagnosis is critical where possible.

If treatment doesn’t start until the patient has consistent signs, it won’t be as successful.

In addition, related symptoms may occur in a variety of other conditions.

These include:

• multiple system atrophy
• progressive supranuclear palsy

It can be difficult for doctors to diagnose Parkinson’s disease in the early stages due to similarity with other conditions.

Symptoms of movement can begin on one side of the body and progressively affect both sides.

What Raises Someone’s Risk For Parkinson’s

It’s a complex picture, but you may be more likely to get Parkinson’s based on:

Age. Since it mostly affects people 60 and older, your risk goes up as the years go by.

Family history. If your parent, brother, or sister has it, you’re a little more likely to get it.

Job. Some types of work, like farming or factory jobs, can cause you to have contact with chemicals linked to Parkinson’s.

Race. It shows up more often in white people than other groups.

Serious head injury. If you hit your head hard enough to lose consciousness or forget things as a result of it, you may be more likely to get Parkinson’s later in life.

Gender. Men get it more than women. Doctors aren’t sure why.

Where you live. People in rural areas seem to get it more often, which may be tied to chemicals used in farming.

Who Is Most At Risk For Parkinsons Disease

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Parkinson’s disease is a progressive movement disorder that affects an estimated 1 million people in the U.S. With PD, nerve cells in the brain break down or die. Many of these nerve cells produce dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain. This causes abnormal brain activity and impairs movement along with other PD symptoms. Risk factors include age, heredity, and gender. Some of these are clear; others are not. Let’s look at who is at most risk for developing Parkinson’s disease.  

Assessment Of Type 2 Diabetes At Baseline

Assessment of the history of type 2 diabetes was based on self-reporting and on the data of two nationwide registers. The National Hospital Discharge Register data included hospital discharge diagnoses since 1968. Data on diabetes medication were ascertained from the national Social Insurance Institution’s register on special reimbursement for antidiabetic drugs from 1964. Antidiabetic drugs prescribed by a physician are free of charge in Finland and are subject to approval of a physician of the Institution who reviews each case history. The physician confirms the diagnosis of diabetes, applying the World Health Organization criteria: one or more classic symptoms plus a fasting plasma glucose level ?7.8 mmol/l or the oral glucose tolerance test ?11.1 mmol/l; at least one raised plasma glucose concentration on a fasting plasma glucose level ?7.8 mmol/l or the oral glucose tolerance test ?11.1 mmol/l in the absence of symptoms; or treatment with a hypoglycemic drug . All patients receiving free medication were entered into a register maintained by the Social Insurance Institution. Subjects who reported having diabetes on the questionnaire, or who had a hospital discharge with a diagnosis of diabetes, or the approval for free-of-charge medication for diabetes before the baseline survey, were classified as having the history of diabetes at baseline.

What Is Already Known About This Subject

• According to an estimation, one million people have Parkinson’s disease in Pakistan, and this number will increase up to 1,200,000 till 2030.

• Both non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors such as occupation, exposure to pesticides, and depression have an association with PD.

• PD is under research in Pakistan, and there is a need to identify the factors that increase the risk of PD.

Appendix 1: The Geoparkinson Study Group

Dick F D, MD ; Seaton A, MD ; Haites N, PhD ; Osborne A, MSc ; Grant F, BSc ; Semple S E, PhD ; Cherrie J W, PhD ; Dick S, PhD ; Adiakpan N, MSc ; Sutherland S, RGN ; Prescott G J, PhD ; Scott N W, MSc ; Bennett J E, MSc ; Counsell C E, MD ; Coleman R, MD ; Primrose W ; Srivastava P, FRCP ; Mutti A, MD ; De Palma G, MD ; Mozzoni P, BSci ; Scotti E, PhD ; Buzio L, MD ; Calzetti S, MD ; Montanari E, MD ; Negrotti A, MD ; Scaglioni A, MD ; Manotti C, MD ; Söderkvist P, PhD ; Ahmadi A, PhD ; Hällsten A-L ; Molbaek A ; Schippert Å ; Dizdar N, MD ; Tondel M, MD ; Fall P-A, MD ; Otelea M, MD ; Tinischi M ; Bezzina Wettinger S, M.Phil. ; Scerri C, PhD ; Borg J, BSc ; Cassar K, MD ; Cassar W, BPharm. ; Galdies R, BPharm ; Vella N R, MD ; Mifsud VSA, MD ; Aquilina J, MD ; Galea Debono A, MD ; Felice A, MD, PhD .

What Raises Someones Risk For Parkinsons

It’s a complex picture, but you may be more likely to get Parkinson’s based on:

Age. Since it mostly affects people 60 and older, your risk goes up as the years go by.

Family history. If your parent, brother, or sister has it, you’re a little more likely to get it.

Job. Some types of work, like farming or factory jobs, can cause you to have contact with chemicals linked to Parkinson’s.

Race. It shows up more often in white people than other groups.

Serious head injury. If you hit your head hard enough to lose consciousness or forget things as a result of it, you may be more likely to get Parkinson’s later in life.

Gender. Men get it more than women. Doctors aren’t sure why.

Where you live. People in rural areas seem to get it more often, which may be tied to chemicals used in farming.

When Should A Person Seek Genetic Testing

Genetic testing is available for some genes related to Parkinson’s disease, but testing may not provide useful information to individuals.

For one thing, a wide range of genes may play a role, and it is not possible to test them all. A person may also have a relevant feature but not go on to develop Parkinson’s disease.

For example, only around 0.7% of people with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease have changes in the LRRK2 gene, and around 0.3% have changes in the PRKN gene, according to a 2020 review.

Anyone who is interested in genetic testing should discuss the pros and cons with a doctor and consider genetic counseling if they decide to go ahead.

As With Most Things Communication Is Key

What is being done to find a cure for parkinson’s disease? Some of these nerve cells produce a although the disease has some genetic elements it does not usually run in families. The neurological disorder parkinson’s disease may run in families, scientists have discovered. Parkinson’s doesn’t always affect how long you live. But the evidence linking environmental factors to parkinson’s disease is inconclusive. If you have children, have you talked to them about the possibility they might. Read all information of parkinson’s disease symptoms parkinson’s disease is a gradual, progressive neurological condition classically it is thought that pd is the result of both genetic and environmental factors. Published in jama network open, men who lack physical activity have a higher risk of developing parkinson’s. If parkinson’s runs in your family and you want to get genetically tested, consult with a genetic counselor first. Does parkinson’s run in families? However, the age of onset of parkinson’s in people with lrrk2 gene alterations. Parkinson’s disease happens when some of the nerves cells in the brain stop working. There may be a hereditary predisposition to parkinson’s in a small percentage of cases.

What Are The Risk Factors For Parkinsons

In some cases, genetic mutations have been identified in those with PD. However, factors that increase your risk include:

• Age– Early onset PD is rare, and those affected start showing symptoms around 60 years of age. 
• Heredity– Having a family history of PD increases your risk a little, but having multiple family members with PD increases it a lot. 
• Gender– PD affects 50% more men than women. 

There is no known prevention or cure for Parkinson’s. Diagnosing PD involves taking a medical history and neurological examination. More work needs to be done through clinical research studies to answer these deficits and improve ways to manage PD. 

Brain Matters Research is looking for participants to join upcoming clinical research studies for Parkinson’s. Participating in a research study helps us better understand the condition so potential future options can be found. To learn more, call 374-8461, or visit our website. 

References:

Characteristics Of The Study Population

After exclusion of individuals with missing data or outliers, 503,497 participants were available for the present analyses. Among these participants, 603 had an incident PD event. Analyses of the associations of CVD risk factors with PD were restricted to the 480,950 participants with no prior history of CVD and included 521 PD cases . The mean duration of follow-up was 9 years in all participants.

Overall, 59.2% of participants were women, 56.0% lived in rural regions, 57.3% had an income less than or equal to 19,999 yuan, and 50.8% had a primary school education or lower. Mean age of PD cases was older than that of the general population , and cases had a lower level of education . Likewise, a higher proportion of PD cases were agricultural workers or were retired compared with the general population .

Most participants were never regular drinkers or occasional drinkers . However, PD cases reported lower mean levels of physical activity than all participants . While 61.2% of men were current smokers, only 5% of women smoked, hence, analyses of smoking were restricted to men. At baseline 5.9% of all participants had diabetes, 32% were overweight or obese , and 33.5% had hypertension.

The Nested Casecontrol Study Population

The NSHDS cohort built up by three subcohorts, the Västerbotten Intervention Project , the Northern Sweden WHO monitoring of Trends and Cardiovascular Disease study and the local Mammography Screening Project , was used in the selection of data from cases and controls. VIP is a population-based intervention project with a free health survey offered to all residents of Västerbotten County upon turning 30, 40, 50 and 60 years and performed at the local health-care centre. The mean participation rate has varied over time, but it has been over 56%.

The MONICA project was established to monitor trends in risk factors for cardiovascular disease over time. The Västerbotten and Norrbotten Counties joined the MONICA project in 1986 with six different surveys from that year up to 2009, and 2000–2500 randomly selected inhabitants, aged 25–74 years, were selected at each screening. The mean participation rate was 77.2%. Totally, 101?790 unique subjects in the total population up to 31 December 2009 participated in the NSHDS cohort. The MSP invites all women through mammography screenings and for donation of blood sample . In all three subcohorts, participants were invited to donate a blood sample. Plasma was stored at ?80?°C in the Medical Biobank . Participants were invited to donate a blood sample to be stored in the Medical Biobank.

What Really Causes Parkinson’s Disease

Even though studies have pinpointed certain factors that influence the risk of Parkinson’s disease onset, most people with the disease have no family history, gene mutation, prior head injury, history of environmental toxin exposure, or history of using antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, or sleeping pills. So, looking at the overall picture, it is nearly impossible to predict who will develop Parkinson’s disease. And if you have Parkinson’s disease, there is probably nothing you could have done to have prevented it.

Researchers are working to discover the combination of factors that causes Parkinson’s disease, in hopes of uncovering new ways to prevent, and perhaps treat, this chronic condition.

Data Extraction And Quality Assessment

Study characteristics, PDD diagnostic criteria, a risk estimate of the main study finding, and secondary findings were extracted using a unified form. We did not include studies that reported dementia before or within one year to the onset of PD, since these cases did not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for PDD and were more likely cases of dementia with Lewy bodies . If studies did not report OR, RR or equivalent measures, raw data were screened to determine whether ORs could be calculated. When the studies reported both the crude OR/RRs and the adjusted OR/RRs, the adjusted figures were extracted. We calculated a quality score to assess the quality of the studies according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale . Length of time that any predictor precedes the diagnosis of PDD was not analyzed in the study due to inconsistent reporting.

No One Definitive Cause Of Parkinsons

There are no biomarkers or objective screening tests that indicate one has Parkinson’s. That said, medical experts have shown that a constellation of factors are linked to it.

Parkinson’s causes are likely a blend of genetics and environmental or other unknown factors. “About 10 to 20 percent of Parkinson’s disease cases are linked to a genetic cause,” says Ted Dawson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Institute for Cell Engineering at Johns Hopkins. The types are either autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive .

But that leaves the majority of Parkinson’s cases as idiopathic, which means unknown. “We think it’s probably a combination of environmental exposure — to toxins or pesticides — and your genetic makeup,” says Dawson.

Age. The biggest risk factor for developing Parkinson’s is advancing age. The average age of onset is 60.

Gender. Men are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than women.

Genetics. Individuals with a parent or sibling who is affected have approximately two times the chance of developing Parkinson’s. “There’s been an enormous amount of new information about genetics and new genes identified over the past 10 or 15 years that have opened up a greater understanding of the disease,” says Dawson.

Theories About What Causes Parkinsons

The cause of Parkinson’s disease is still unknown, although there is some evidence for the role of genetics, environmental factors, or a combination of both. It is also possible that there may be more than one cause of the disease. Scientists generally believe that both genetics and environment interact to cause Parkinson’s disease in most people who have it.

Currently, there is an enormous amount of research directed at producing more answers about what causes Parkinson’s disease and how it might be prevented or cured. When physicians diagnose Parkinson’s, they often describe it as idiopathic . This simply means that the cause of the disease is not known.

Risk Factors For Parkinson’s Disease

While the exact causes aren’t fully understood, researchers have identified characteristics that increase a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s, including gender, age, race, and genetic factors. However, it is worth noting that the vast majority of cases of PD are considered idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. “Idiopathic” means a condition that arises spontaneously or for which the cause is currently unknown. Major advances in research and science are continuing to reveal more underlying causes for PD.1,2

Cardiovascular Risk Factors For Pd

Personal characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors in all cases compared with controls are presented in . No difference in BMI or waist/height ratio, S-cholesterol, SBP, DBP and B-glucose at time 0 or 2?h was revealed when testing for differences on group levels before or after stratification for gender.

Table 1 Personal characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors in all cases and controls and women and men at the time of health visit at primary health care

How Does Environment Come Into It

Your environment is a hard one to pin down. Partly, that’s because it covers a lot of ground. It’s everything that’s not your genes, which could mean where you live, what you eat, chemicals you’ve come into contact with, and more.

Not only that, but it could take years for the effects from something in your environment to show up. So far, doctors have a lot of clues but no smoking gun. So you could have people who live or work in an area around chemicals tied to Parkinson’s, but many of them don’t get it.

Some research shows links between Parkinson’s and:

• Agent Orange, a chemical used to destroy trees and crops in the Vietnam War.
• Certain chemicals used in farming, such as insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
• Some metals and chemicals used in factories, such as manganese, lead, and trichlorethylene .

These can come into play based on where you live, what you do for work, or if you served in the military. Sometimes, these chemicals seep into well water, so that’s one more way they can affect you.