The South African Parkinson's Disease Study Collection

Rensburg, Zuné Jansen van; Abrahams, Shameemah; Chetty, Devina; Step, Kathryn; Acker, Debbie; Lombard, Carl; Elbaz, Alexis; Carr, Jonathan; Bardien, Soraya

doi:10.1002/mds.28828

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 6 publications

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“…A recent South African study involving 687 cases of PD in mixed race persons reported an onset age of 57.3 years. For the subgroup of 102 persons of African ancestry, the age at onset was 54.8 years [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parkinson’s Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: Pesticides as a Double-Edged Sword

Urasa,

Dekker,

Howlett

et al. 2024

JPD

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Long-term exposure to pesticides used in agriculture is increasingly being identified as a risk factor for developing Parkinson’s disease. How chronic pesticide exposure might contribute to the growth of Parkinson’s disease in the mainly agricultural communities of Sub-Saharan Africa has thus far received limited attention. There are specific concerns in this area of the world: aging of the population, in combination with chronic exposure to widely used pesticides, including those that have been restricted elsewhere in the world because of neurotoxicity and other health risks. Of interest, the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease among specific (semi)nomadic populations in Tanzania seems very low, possibly due to their lack of exposure to agricultural chemicals. But at the same time, pesticides have also brought important benefits to this part of the world. Specifically, in Sub-Saharan Africa, pesticides have been directly helpful in preventing and controlling famine and in containing major human infectious diseases. This creates a complex risk-benefit ratio to the use of pesticides within a global perspective, and urgently calls for the development and implementation of affordable alternatives for areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa, including non-neurotoxic compounds and non-chemical alternatives for the use of pesticides.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%