People with long-term, low-level exposure to pesticides have a 70 percent higher incidence of Parkinson's disease than people who have not been exposed much to bug sprays, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
Such workers include mostly farmers, ranchers and fishermen, the researchers report in the July issue of Annals of Neurology.
Their study supports previous research that suggests pesticides can be linked with Parkinson's, which is caused by the destruction of key brain cells, the team at the Harvard School of Public Health said.
"The findings support the hypothesis that exposure to pesticides is a risk factor for Parkinson's disease," they wrote.
Alberto Ascherio, an associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology and colleagues examined data from a 2001 American Cancer Society survey of 143,325 people.
The researchers contacted those people who reported they had been diagnosed with Parkinson's.
The American Cancer Society was studying factors for cancer risk and all the people had reported on eating and lifestyle habits and environmental exposures.
More than 5,200 men and 2,600 women reported exposure to pesticides. After adjusting for age, sex, and other risk factors for Parkinson's disease, the researchers found a 70 percent higher incidence of the disease among these nearly 8,000 people than among people who reported no exposure.
More men than women said they had been exposed to pesticides and those reporting exposure were more likely to report their occupation as farmer, rancher or fisherman, the researchers said.
People who had other jobs and who reported pesticide exposure most likely were using the chemicals at home or while gardening, the researchers speculated.
Exposure to asbestos, chemicals, acids, solvents, or coal or stone dust was not associated with a higher risk, the researchers said.
"Future studies should seek to identify the specific compounds associated with risk," the researchers said. A class of chemicals called organophosphates has been linked with Parkinson's risk in other studies.
There is no cure for Parkinson's, which starts off with tremors and ends up paralyzing and often killing patients. Globally, it is estimated 6.3 million people have Parkinson's, more than a million in the United States alone.
研究表明，帕金森氏症的发生和杀虫剂密切相关
在星期一发布的一份报告中，美国的研究者们提出，与普通人群相比，那些长期接触低剂量杀虫剂的人群患帕金森氏症的几率要高70％。
在神经病学年报7月刊中的论文报道，农夫、渔民、牧场工人等等都是高危人群。
早期的研究表明，杀虫剂和帕金森氏症的发生有因果关系，杀虫剂会导致一些重要的脑细胞受到破坏。而这份来自哈佛公共卫生学院的研究团队的研究结果，也印证了此观点。
“这些研究结果支持杀虫剂是导致帕金森氏症的重要原因的假说。 ”
营养学和流行病学副教授Alberto Ascherio先生与其同事，仔细研究了美国癌症（肿瘤）协会于2001年调查的143,325人的数据。
研究者们也同这些确诊为帕金森氏症的患者进行了接触。
美国癌症（肿瘤）协会致力于研究人们的饮食习惯、生活方式、居住环境等因素和癌症（肿瘤）之间的关系。
有超过5,200 的男性和2,600的女性都受到杀虫剂的困扰。在排除年龄、性别以及其他风险因素和帕金森氏症之间关系后，研究者发现，在将近8000人中有70％的人患病都与接触杀虫剂有关。
多数男性表示，自己从事着与杀虫剂密切接触的工作，例如农民、牧民、渔夫等。
而一些从事其他工作的人群也表示，他们在家里、花园里都使用过杀虫剂之类的化学试剂。
与石棉、化学试剂、酸、有机溶剂、煤以及石灰等接触，并没有显示出更高的患病风险。
研究者未来的研究将致力于：确认出是哪些特定的成分和这种高风险有关。其他研究表明，有机磷类化合物与帕金森氏症的发生密切相关。
帕金森氏症无药可治，患病初期会出现震颤，最终会瘫痪甚至死亡。全球大概有630万的帕金森氏症患者，仅美国的帕金森症患者就超过了100万。
编辑：西门吹血
