Parkinson’s in Men is on the Rise

Parkinson’s disease — a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement — is on the rise, especially among men.

Men of all ages had a 17 percent higher risk of developing Parkinsonism and 24 percent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

Mayo Clinic researchers released the result of a new study in JAMA Neurology showing that the incidence of Parkinson’s disease and Parkinsonism increased significantly in 30 years from 1976 to 2005. The trend was noted in particular for men age 70 and older — it’s the first study to suggest the increasing trend, according to the researchers.

But men over 70 aren’t the only ones at risk: The study shows that men of all ages had a 17 percent higher risk of developing Parkinsonism and 24 percent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease for every 10 calendar years.

Men 70 and older had an even greater increase — a 24 percent higher risk of developing Parkinsonism and 35 percent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease for every 10 calendar years.

Parkinsonism is the umbrella term that includes Parkinson’s disease and other disorders as well. The diagnosis of Parkinsonism requires the presence of slowness of movement and at least one other symptom — a tremor while at rest, muscle rigidity, or a tendency to fall.

The study involved researchers using the Rochester Epidemiology Project. The project allowed Mayo Clinic researchers to look at the complete medical records — from birth to death — of anyone in Olmsted County, Minnesota, who received at least one of the diagnoses related to Parkinsonism. The records were reviewed by a movement disorders specialist to confirm the diagnosis and to classify different types of Parkinsonism, including the most common type, Parkinson’s disease.

“There has been a dramatic change in exposure to some risk factors in the United States,” said one neurologist.

“We have reasons to believe this is a real trend,” said Rodolfo Savica, M.D., Ph.D., lead study author and neurologist at Mayo Clinic. “The trend is probably not caused merely by changes in people’s awareness or changes in medical practice over time. We have evidence to suggest there has been a genuine increase in the risk of Parkinson’s disease.”

In terms of reasons for the change, researchers point to environmental and lifestyle changes as potential causes.

“There has been a dramatic change in exposure to some risk factors in the United States,” Savica said. “We know that environmental agents like pesticides or smoking or other agents in the environment have changed in the last 70 years or so. Changes in exposure to a number of risk factors may have caused Parkinson’s disease to rise.”

The study, based on almost 1,000 patients affected by Parkinsonism, is the first to consider long-term trends in risk over 30 years. It also provides evidence contrary to two previous U.S. studies and one Canadian study that showed no trend, and it’s particularly contrary to three United Kingdom studies that suggested a possible decline in the occurrence of Parkinson’s disease over time.

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The Mayo Clinic study also revealed a possible higher incidence of both Parkinsonism and Parkinson’s disease in men and women born from 1915 to 1924.

“This observation is important because the persons born in that particular decade may have been exposed to some environmental or other factors during their intrauterine life or early after birth that increased the risk,” Savica said. “We need to confirm this hypothesis.”

Environmental or lifestyle factors could include smoking, pesticide use, head trauma, coffee consumption, and other factors.

The researchers urged caution in interpreting the trends — which may be from an increased awareness of symptoms and improved access to care.

Still, “Parkinson’s disease is an important disease and a cause of disability, especially in older ages, and we don’t want to have people untreated for a condition that is treatable just because they have four or five other diseases that are more prominent,” said Dr. Savica.