Association between parkinsonism and participation in agriculture in Korea

Environmental factors might influence the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) or multiple-system atrophy (MSA), and previous examinations of pesticide exposure, well-water drinking, and farming have produced inconclusive results. Because agriculture has been of considerable importance to Korean society, and hence the risk of exposure to pesticides was high in Korea, this study investigated whether such exposure is associated with elevated risks of developing PD and MSA.

Two hundred and thirty-five PD patients, 133 MSA patients, and 77 normal control subjects were examined. Data concerning environmental factors were collected by face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by binary logistic regression.

ORs for environmental risk factors for developing PD were 1.06 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02-1.10] for age and 2.37 (95% CI = 1.32-4.27) for rural well-water drinking for >10 years. Smoking >10 pack-years (OR = 0.31; 95% CI = 0.11-0.64) was a preventable factor for developing PD in this study. However, no significant risk factors were identified for MSA.

These results suggest that exposure to certain environmental risk factors plays a role in the development of PD. However, the development of MSA appears to be independent of environmental risk factors in Korean patients.