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Factors influencing the development of early- or late-onset Parkinson’s disease in a cohort of South African patients
Abstract
Aims. To identify factors influencing EOPD and LOPD development in a group of patients in South Africa (SA).
Methods. A total of 397 unrelated PD patients were recruited from the Movement Disorders Clinic at Tygerberg Hospital and via the Parkinsonfs Association of SA. Patient demographic and environmental data were recorded and associations with PD onset (EOPD v. LOPD) were analysed with a Pearsonfs Chi-squared test. The English- and Afrikaans-speaking (Afrikaner) white patients were analysed separately.
Results. Logistic regression analysis showed that ethnicity (p<0.001) and family history (p=0.004) were independently associated with AAO of PD. Average AAO was younger in black, coloured and Afrikaner patients than English-speaking white patients. A positive family history of PD, seen in 31.1% of LOPD patients, was associated with a younger AAO in the study population.
Conclusions. These associations may be attributed to specific genetic
and/or environmental risk factors that increase PD susceptibility and influence the clinical course of the disorder. More studies on PD in
the unique SA populations are required to provide novel insights into
mechanisms underlying this debilitating condition.
