Whooping cough and Parkinson's disease.

• Published in: International Journal of Epidemiology
• Main Authors: de Pedro Cuesta J, Gudmundsson G, Abraira V, Löve A, Tulinius H, Veiga J, Almazán J, Petersen IJ, The Europarkinson Preparatory Activity Research Group, CASETTA, Ilaria
• Other Authors: de Pedro Cuesta, J, Gudmundsson, G, Abraira, V, Löve, A, Tulinius, H, Veiga, J, Almazán, J, Petersen, Ij, The Europarkinson Preparatory Activity Research, Group, Casetta, Ilaria
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 1996
• Subjects: Aetiology; Dopamine; Drug use; Epidemiology; Parkinson's disease; Pertussi; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11392/1732131; https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/25.6.1301

Background. We reported high levodopa use and prevalences of Parkinson's Disease (PD) in periodically, time-clustered, Icelandic cohorts born after major whooping cough epidemics (MWCE). Methods. In order to quantify a possible relationship between age at first post-birth MWCE and risk of PD we: 1) calcu- lated cumulative incidences of PD during the period 1954-1963 in one-year Icelandic cohorts born between 1869 and 1927, using raw material from a reported survey; 2) identified MWCE from 1869 onwards in Iceland; 3) estimated cohort ages at onset of incidence period and at first MWCE; and 4) combined the above-mentioned information using log-linear models. In addition, we studied the prevalence of levodopa users in Icelandic birth cohorts during a recent period. Results. The curves of the above-mentioned incidences and prevalences in one-year birth-cohorts showed: 1) a similar, age-related, inverted V profile; and 2) a systematic notchy pattern, with peak values for one or both measurements for cohorts born during or after each of nine MWCE identified during the period 1869-1927. When 13 cohorts born in years with MWCE were excluded from the analysis, the risk of PD rose with age at first defined MWCE, with the linear increase being 8.4% per year (95% Cl : -0.1-18.3%). Conclusions. These results are consistent with reported effects of age at exposure in animal models of toxic parkin- sonism, age-related changes in the dopamine receptor-GPT-binding protein-adenylatecyclase system observed in rats treated with pertussis toxin, and some PD epidemiological features. They suggest that pertussis neurotoxicity could be causally related to PD worldwide.