Air pollution may be a cause of Parkinson's disease, a study suggests.
Research has found that those living in cities with high pollution are more at risk of developing this incurable and progressive disease.
Those who have a higher genetic risk for Parkinson's and live in these areas are also up to three times more likely to be diagnosed with this brain disorder.
Exposure to smoke particles emitted from car exhausts and wood burning is thought to cause inflammation in the body that can trigger the development of this disease — which affects movement and affects around 150,000 Britons.
American scientists followed more than 3,000 adults in two experiments.
They estimated the average levels of carbon monoxide (CO) emitted directly from car engines near the participants' homes.
Other common pollutants from vehicles were also taken into account, including unburned hydrocarbons (HC), CO, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM).
Factors that could alter the results, such as food allergies and smoking status, were also taken into account.
In the first study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, followed more than 1,300 adults who had lived in California for at least five years.
They found that high levels of air pollution related to traffic put people at a 28 percent higher risk of developing Parkinson's.
In the second study, more than 2,000 adults were followed, more than half of whom lived in Copenhagen or provincial towns in Denmark.
Here they found that high air pollution from traffic “nearly tripled the risk” of the disease.
Combining the results of both studies, they determined that, on average, those living in areas with high levels of traffic-related air pollution are at a 9 percent higher risk.
In an article published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the researchers said: “Notably, the joint effects of both risk factors were much more pronounced, with the risk of Parkinson’s increasing by up to 3-fold for genetically susceptible individuals exposed to high levels of traffic air pollution.”
The study's author suggested that a reduction in air pollution could help reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease.
The World Health Organization has long urged countries to take stronger measures to combat pollution, which is thought to kill 7 million people each year globally.
Parkinson's affects around 153,000 Britons and 500,000 Americans.
Every hour, two people are diagnosed with this disease in the UK and the disease costs the NHS more than £725 million a year.
Early signs of this disease include tremors, stiffness, slowed movement, and loss of taste.
Balance problems, such as issues with coordination and experiencing stiff muscles are other common signs.
But it is a poorly understood disease, which causes the death of nerve cells in the brain that produce the vital hormone dopamine.
While there is no cure, treatments are available to manage symptoms and maintain quality of life for as long as possible.
This disease places a huge burden on the body, which in turn leaves a person susceptible to deadly infections. /Express newspaper/
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