Firstly, what is a risk factor? Quite simply it’s anything that increases your risk of developing a particular disease or condition. A good example would be how obesity steeply increases the risk of someone developing type 2 diabetes, thus obesity is considered a risk factor (for type 2 diabetes and a whole host of other diseases as well).
While we don’t yet have a definitive list of causes of Parkinson’s Disease, we do have a list of risk factors as described by WebMD and Mayo Clinic, which may contribute to the likelihood of you developing it.
Parkinson’s Disease Risk Factors
- Age – With 60 being the typical age the older you get the higher, the risk you have of developing Parkinson’s Disease. However, it can strike at any age.
- Genetics – While it’s a low risk if you have a close relative (a parent or a sibling) with Parkinson’s Disease your risk of developing it increases by around 5%.
- Gender – Men are twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s Disease as women. While researchers don’t have a definitive reason for this, it may be due to men being exposed to more of the risk factors than women are.
- Pollutants – Carbon Monoxide, insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Those who smoke, work in agriculture, military, or with machinery are at the greatest risk of being exposed to a variety of pollutants, which may contribute to Parkinson’s Disease. As are people who have lived in rural areas for a long period of time.
- Medications – There are certain antipsychotics that increase the risk of Parkinson’s Disease. These are drugs often used to treat schizophrenia and the symptoms of this tend to also resemble Parkinson’s Disease.
- Head Injuries – Have you had a head injury? Even the most minor injury can increase your risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease.
- A Lack of Estrogen – Women who avoid HRT after menopause may be increasing the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease. Hysterectomies also increase the risk.
- Folic Acid Deficiency – One team of researchers found that in an experiment with mice those who developed the most severe cases of Parkinson’s were folate deficient.
Prevention of Parkinson’s Disease
It’s difficult to know how to prevent the onset of a disease that we don’t know the exact causes of. However, the risk factors above provide a good indication of what could contribute to the likelihood of you developing the illness. It’s never too late to make the changes in your life necessary to reduce these risk factors.
If you enjoy gardening, you should be wary of using pesticides on your plant life and find other ways to chase pests away. Additionally, you should consider the indoor air quality of your home as it contains more pollutants than the outdoors. Purchase houseplants that contribute to high-quality indoor air and plant them near your home as well.
This should help mitigate the entry of pollutants into your home. You should also ensure your HVAC system has high-quality air filters that are cleaned regularly. You may want to consider having a UV light installed as well as this can kill microorganisms that no filter can prevent from getting through.
Always wear a helmet if you go out bike riding, rock climbing, or enjoy any other dangerous sports.
You may not be able to control all of these risk factors, but there are plenty that you can. You should also ensure you get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, and eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. Don’t forget to manage your stress levels and avoid tobacco and alcohol, too. Tobacco is guilty of filling your body with serious chemicals and pollutants.
