Source: Janice Wood, Associate News Editor University of British Columbia.

A new study states that catching the flu at a severe level doubles the chances of getting Parkinson's later in life.

Despite the study, researchers from the University of British Columbia point out that the opposite is true for people who contracted typical measles in childhood: these people have a 35% less chance of getting Parkinson's, a disorder of the nervous system that is characterized by slowness of movement, tremors, stiffness and, in later stages, loss of balance.

The findings of university researchers from the School of Population and Public Health Research and the Pacific Center for Parkinson's Disease Research were published in the journal Movement Disorders.

These findings are based on interviews with 403 Parkinson's patients and 405 healthy people in British Columbia, Canada.

Parkinson's disease occurs when the brain cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine are destroyed, thus preventing the brain from transmitting messages to the muscles. The disease usually appears in people over the age of 50.

Although some cases are due to genetic causes, most cases are due to unknown causes. Researchers claim that the disease may result from repeated blows to the head or exposure to viruses or chemical compounds.

Lead researcher Ann Harris also tested the effects of working with vibrating devices, such as construction equipment.

In another study, which was published online this month by the American Journal of Epidemiology, Harris and her colleagues reported that working with vibrating devices even reduced the chance of developing the disease by 33%, compared to people whose work did not include exposure to vibrating devices.

Meanwhile, she found that those who were exposed to particularly strong vibrations from driving snowplows, tanks or speedboats had a high chance of consistently developing Parkinson's, compared to people whose work involved exposure to lower-intensity vibrations (for example, operating off-road vehicles).

According to Harris, the increased risk does not fall short of the statistical significance used to make a correlation, but it was strong and consistent enough to warrant further studies.

"There is no cure or prevention for Parkinson's disease, also because we don't know why some people get it and others don't," Harris said. "This type of epidemiological research work is necessary to identify the active mechanisms, a process that can lead to an effective prevention strategy."

Translation: Ronli Nissim Date: 2.1.13