People living near dry cleaners may have a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a new nationwide study led by researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.
The study was recently published in npj Parkinson's Disease as an unedited manuscript to provide early access to the findings. The final version will be published following further editorial review.
Risk rose with proximity
The analysis examined Medicare records from nearly 19 million older adults in the United States. Researchers found that people living within approximately 500 feet (152 meters) of a dry cleaner had a 14% greater risk of developing Parkinson's disease compared with those living farther away. The association gradually declined with increasing distance, suggesting that the closer someone lived to a dry cleaner, the stronger the link between proximity and Parkinson's disease, even after accounting for other risk factors.
"This study adds to growing evidence that environmental exposures may play an important role in Parkinson's disease," said Brad Racette, M.D., chair of neurology and senior vice president of Barrow Neurological Institute, and senior author of the study. "Identifying those exposures is an important step toward understanding how we might reduce the burden of this disease in the future."
