Familial influence on parkinsonism in a rural area of Turkey (Kızılcaboluk-Denizli): A community-based case-control study

• Published in: Movement disorders 2003-07, Vol.18 (7), p.799-804
• Main Authors: Duzcan, Fusun, Zencir, Mehmet, Ozdemir, Fatma, Cetin, G. Ozan, Bagci, Huseyin, Heutink, Peter, Bonifati, Vincenzo, Sahiner, Turker
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; case-control study; Cross-Sectional Studies; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Environmental Pollutants - toxicity; family history; Female; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - epidemiology; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - genetics; Genetics, Population - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Incidence; Life Style; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurology; Parkinsonian Disorders - epidemiology; Parkinsonian Disorders - genetics; Parkinsonism; pesticide; Pesticides - toxicity; Risk Factors; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Social Environment; Social Isolation; Socioeconomic Factors; Tropical medicine
• ISSN: 0885-3185; 1531-8257
• DOI: 10.1002/mds.10440

This population‐based study on parkinsonism in a genetically isolated community from a rural area of Turkey aimed to provide a selective evaluation of environmental and heritable risk factors. An increased prevalence of parkinsonism (4.1%) was detected in the village of Kızılcaboluk for people 65 years of age and older. This study included 36 patients with parkinsonism living in Kızılcaboluk and three times that number of age‐ and sex‐matched people serving as controls. A questionnaire including demographic data, family history, education, occupation, data on exposures to pesticides, smoking, alcohol intake, and head trauma was administered. We found a significant association of parkinsonism cases with a positive family history in first‐degree relatives (odds ratio [OR], 7.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.52–22.17; P < 0.0001) and with pesticide exposure (OR, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.31–6.69; P = 0.015) compared to the control subjects. The value of genetically isolated populations for the identification of genetic risk factors for common and complex disorders has gained much attention recently because the genetic make‐up of these populations is likely to be less complex than that of the general population and our findings should prompt investigations to the nature of a familial aggregation of parkinsonism in this population. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society