Shared from neurologyadvisor.com
Golf courses are often heavily treated with pesticides, the exposure to which is considered a potential environmental risk factor for PD. To better understand the role of golf course pesticide exposure in PD risk, researchers conducted a case-control study using the Rochester Epidemiology Project database.
Participants diagnosed with incident PD between 1991 and 2015 living in Olmsted County (n=419; median [IQR] age, 73 [65-80] years; men, 61.3%; White, 96.2%) were matched by age and sex to control individuals without PD (n= 5113; median [IQR] age, 72 [65-79] years; men, 59.5%; White, 88.1%).
Data from the US Geological Survey categorized water services areas as service areas where tap water came from either groundwater resources, surface water resources, or private wells. Data on the 139 golf courses within the study region were categorized as less than 1, 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 6, and over 6 miles from the nearest golf course. All PD diagnoses were clinically confirmed, and exposure estimates were based on residential addresses 2 to 3 years prior to symptom onset. A total of 86.6% of PD cases were located in areas reliant on groundwater, while 77.3% of all participants identified groundwater as their primary source of water.