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Published on: October 3, 2012
Number of children and risk of Parkinson's disease
Roberta Frigerio1, Monique M B Breteler, Lonneke M L de Lau
1Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Insights
Having more children may be linked to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) in men. This association was observed in two independent studies, suggesting a potential connection specific to males.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Neurodegenerative Diseases
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
- Factors influencing PD risk are under ongoing investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the number of children fathered/born and the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD).
Main Methods:
- Two independent studies were conducted: a case-control study in Olmsted County, MN, and a population-based cohort study in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
- Olmsted County study included 193 PD cases and 193 matched controls.
- Rotterdam study involved 6,341 subjects, including 2,610 men.
Main Results:
- In the Olmsted County study, men with children showed an increased PD risk, with risk rising with more children.
- The Rotterdam Study also indicated a significant increase in PD risk with a higher number of children among men.
- These associations, while consistent in direction, lost statistical significance after adjusting for lifestyle factors like education, smoking, alcohol, and coffee consumption.
Conclusions:
- Independent replication in two distinct populations suggests a potential link between the number of children and Parkinson's disease risk, specifically in men.
- Further research is needed to clarify this association and the potential confounding factors.
Abstract:
We investigated the association between number of children and Parkinson's disease (PD) in two independent studies. In a case-control study, we identified all subjects who developed PD in Olmsted County, MN, from 1976 through 1995, and matched them individually by age (+/-1 year) and sex to population controls (193 cases and 193 controls). The replication study was a population-based cohort study of 6,341 subjects from Rotterdam, the Netherlands (2,610 men). In the Olmsted County study, men who fathered at least one child had an increased risk of PD (unadjusted OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-6.1; P = 0.02), and the risk increased with increasing number of children. The findings in women were not significant. In the Rotterdam Study, the risk of PD increased significantly with increasing number of children in men (test for linear trend, unadjusted; P = 0.04), but not in women. The findings from both studies remained consistent in direction but reduced in magnitude of the association, and lost significance after simultaneous adjustment for education, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and coffee consumption. The independent replication in two distinct populations and using different epidemiologic study designs may suggest a link between the number of children and PD restricted to men.
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