Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurological disorders that mostly affect aged individuals. The common symptoms of PD are rest tremor, bradykinesia, and rigidity. Objectives: The present study was devised to find out the clinical features and risk factors associated with PD in a population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Methods:A total of 600 PD patients and 1,200 control individuals took part in this study. The participants filled out a standard questionnaire. Results: This study found a significant association between PD and exposure to pesticides (p < 0.0001) and doing work on farms (p < 0.0001). The use of aldrin was significantly associated with PD (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, we also found that PD status was associated with individuals who have a history of depression, hypertension, head injury, and Alzheimer’s disease. This study also showed that the PD rate was lower in those who were using tobacco products. Conclusion: In this case-control study, we revealed some environmental and medical conditions that are linked with PD. To control the disease, we must minimize exposure to pesticides, and the government and scientific community should play their role.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

BackgroundDespite the high sociocultural preferences in contracting marriages among close relatives in Pakistan, marked regional differences exist in the prevalence of consanguinity. There is great interest to elucidate the sociodemographic variables underlying the heterogeneity in consanguinity prevalence in the various populations. The present study was conducted in the Mardan district of Pakistan, the second largest multiethnic Pashtun metropolis.ObjectiveTo find determinants of consanguineous unions.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study design, a convenience sample of 1,202 ever-married men from 3tehsilsof Mardan district was recruited in an unselected manner and data regarding their marital union types and sociodemographic variables were obtained by a structured interview. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used.ResultsConsanguineous unions accounted for 44% of all marriages, and the inbreeding coefficient was calculated as 0.0258. Regression analyses revealed that 6 variables were significant predictors of consanguinity, namely, tehsil, age, year of marriage, caste (zaat/biradari) system, area of house, and marriage arrangement of the respondent, while 6 other variables, namely, rural/urban origin, literacy, occupation, monthly income, household type, and number of family members, were not found to be significant. Regression analyses showed that there were different combinations of variables predictive of consanguinity among the varioustehsils.ConclusionsThe prevalence of consanguinity in the Mardan district was found to be lower than that in many other districts of Pakistan. National regional differences exist in consanguinity, and the combination of predictive factors varies greatly.

No abstract