Neurodegenerative diseases and exposure to pesticides in the elderly.
The authors investigated the hypothesis that exposure to pesticides could be related to central nervous system disorders in a prospective cohort study of 1,507 French elderly (1992-1998). Lower cognitive performance was observed in subjects who had been occupationally exposed to pesticides. In men, the relative risks of developing Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease for occupational exposure assessed by a job exposure matrix were 5.63 (95% confidence interval: 1.47, 21.58) and 2.39 (95% confidence interval: 1.02, 5.63), respectively, after confounding factors were taken into account. No association was found with having a primary job in agriculture or with environmental pesticide exposure, nor was an association found in women. These results suggest the presence of neurologic impairments in elderly persons who were exposed occupationally to pesticides.
Baldi
Isabelle
I
Laboratoire Santé Travail Environnement, Institut de Santé Publique d'Epidémiologie et de Développement, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France. isabelle.baldi@isped.u-bordeaux2.fr
Lebailly
Pierre
P
Mohammed-Brahim
Brahim
B
Letenneur
Luc
L
Dartigues
Jean-François
JF
Brochard
Patrick
P
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D010575:Pesticides