title: Parkinson's Disease Prevalence and Proximity to Agricultural Cultivated Fields.
abstract: The risk for developing Parkinson's disease (PD) is a combination of multiple environmental and genetic factors. The Negev (Southern Israel) contains approximately 252.5 km(2) of agricultural cultivated fields (ACF). We aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of PD and to examine possible geographical clustering and associations with agricultural exposures. We screened all "Clalit" Health Services members in the Negev (70% of the population) between the years 2000 and 2012. Individual demographic, clinical, and medication prescription data were available. We used a refined medication tracer algorithm to identify PD patients. We used mixed Poisson models to calculate the smoothed standardized incidence rates (SIRs) for each locality. We identified ACF and calculate the size and distance of the fields from each locality. We identified 3,792 cases of PD. SIRs were higher than expected in Jewish rural localities (median SIR [95% CI]: 1.41 [1.28; 1.53] in 2001-2004, 1.62 [1.48; 1.76] in 2005-2008, and 1.57 [1.44; 1.80] in 2009-2012). Highest SIR was observed in localities located in proximity to large ACF (SIR 1.54, 95% CI 1.32; 1.79). In conclusion, in this population based study we found that PD SIRs were higher than expected in rural localities. Furthermore, it appears that proximity to ACF and the field size contribute to PD risk.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, Soroka University Medical Center, 84101 Beer Sheva, Israel ; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, 84101 Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Maayan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yitshak Sade
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, 84101 Beer Sheva, Israel ; Department of Neurology, Soroka University Medical Center, 84101 Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Yair
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zlotnik
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography and Environmental Development, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ben Gurion University, 84101 Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Itai
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kloog
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, Soroka University Medical Center, 84101 Beer Sheva, Israel ; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, 84101 Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Novack
authors.affiliation: Sackler Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Chava
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peretz
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, 84101 Beer Sheva, Israel ; Department of Neurology, Soroka University Medical Center, 84101 Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Gal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ifergane