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A Case-Control Study on the Environmental Risk Factors of Parkinson's Disease in Tianjin, China

1993; Karger Publishers; Volume: 12; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1159/000110319

1423-0208

Wenzhi Wang, Xianghua Fang, Xue‐ming Cheng, De‐hua Jiang, Zhen-jian Lin,

Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments

Using a case-control method, we studied the role of environmental risk factors and viral infection in the development of Parkinson''s disease (PD) in China. Ninety-three PD patients and 186 controls were investigated with a questionnaire and from most of them, blood was taken to test the antibody levels of four virus (measles, rubella, HSV-1, CMV) IgG. The study result showed that positive family history, living near rubber plants, drinking river-water were associated with an increased risk of developing PD. In contrast, living in small cities, drinking well-water, drinking hard-liquor frequently, were associated with a decreased risk for PD. PD cases and controls did not differ with respect to other factors investigated including smoking and viral infection. These findings suggest that some environmental factors may be related to the development of PD, but further standardized studies will be required to confirm our results.