Growing evidence suggests that a part of the burden of Parkinson’s disease (PD) can be explained by  exposure to environmental factors, including pesticides, heavy metals, solvents, and air pollution.

However, several questions remain unanswered, pertaining to the associations with PD of  environmental factors that are still in use today; the added risks of co-exposure to multiple environmental factors and gene–environment interactions. Additional questions remain on the relevant time window, duration, and level of environmental exposures in relation to PD risk.  Furthermore, it is unclear whether these exposures are associated with clinical progression of PD. PD-PEST (Parkinson’s Disease–Preventing Emergence of Symptoms by environmental Toxicants) is a nationwide hospital-based case–control study conducted in the Netherlands. The study population consists of 1500 persons with a recent PD diagnosis and 3000 age- and sex-matched controls. Participants will be recruited from four regions across the Netherlands to ensure a representative geographical distribution in terms of urbanisation, industry, and agricultural activity. Cases must have a PD diagnosis, established by a neurologist in the Netherlands according to standard diagnostic criteria. Controls are outpatients with a different neurological condition that is unlikely to be associated with the environmental factors of interest or the risk of PD. The researhers will collect detailed information on historical and current environmental exposures at an individual level. This includes occupational and residential histories (via questionnaires and nationwide registries) and measurements (blood, saliva, faeces, hair, and via silicone wristbands). Based on these multimodal data, the scientists will estimate participants’ individual lifetime exposure to environmental factors. Then, they examine the associations between these exposures and the risk of PD. In addition, they will assess longitudinal associations between exposures and clinical progression of individuals with PD over 36 months. Analyses will be adjusted for possible confounders and multiple hypothesis testing.

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Welke bestrijdingsmiddelen zijn echt schadelijk? UMCG onderzoekt link tussen pesticiden en parkinson