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Rates of Parkinson’s Disease Rising Among U.S. Males

Smoking is known to help shield against the disease, so declines in that habit may play a role Share | Comments: (0) Tell-a-Friend

MONDAY, June 20, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Rates of Parkinson's disease have increased for U.S. men over the past three decades, and the trend could be tied to declines in smoking, according to a report published online June 20 in JAMA Neurology.

In the new study, a team led by the Mayo Clinic's Walter Rocca, M.D., M.P.H., tracked long-term data on individuals living in Olmsted County, Minn.

The researchers found that rates of Parkinson's disease increased from 18.2 per 100,000 person-years between 1976 and 1985 to 30.4 between 1996 and 2005. The increase was steepest for men aged 70 and older. Rates of parkinsonism among men also rose, from 38.9 per 100,000 person-years between 1976 and 1985 to 55.9 between 1996 and 2005. No similar increases were seen among women.

The increase may stem from an otherwise very positive health trend among American men over the past few decades: A steep decline in smoking. "The trends could be spurious and need to be confirmed in other populations," the authors write.

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