Farming, well water consumption, rural living, and pesticide exposure in early life as the risk factors for Parkinson disease in Iğdır province

OBJECTIVES: To investigate potential risk factors for Parkinson’s disease (PD) in elderly individuals rural living in Turkey. METHODS: In total, 72 consecutive elderly Parkinson disease patients referred to the Neurology Clinic, Iğdir State Hospital, Iğdır, Turkey were included in the study. A structured questionnaire comprising questions on history of pastoral living, pit water consumption, and exposure to ionizing radiation and pesticides was administered to the patients. The patients were divided into 2 groups on the basis of water consumption: well water consumption group and city network consumption group. RESULTS: Of 72 patients with PD, 49 (68.1%) exposed to well water while 23 (31.9%) did not exposed to well water. The average duration of well water consumption was 20 (standard deviation 6) years (p<0.01) in group 1. Nitrate, sulfate and heavy metal levels were significantly higher in well water than in city network water (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Consumption of well water containing heavy metals and nitrates in early life may contribute to the etiology of Parkinson disease in elderly individuals in Iğdır province of Turkey