PARKINSON’S DISEASE AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY CONDUCTED IN SOUSSE (TUNISIA)

To study the relationship between exposure to the risk factors highlighted in the literature and Parkinson's disease. This is a case-control study. The cases were patients with Parkinson's disease and who were treated at the Neurology Department of the Sahloul Teaching Hospital of Sousse (Tunisia). The controls were matched and recruited among the patients of the hospital and were free from neurological pathologies. We recruited 92 cases of Parkinson's disease during the study period. The mean age was 65.16 ± 10.98 years for the study group and 65.02 ± 11.09 years for the control group. The factors independently associated with risk of Parkinson's disease at the end of the multivariate analysis were: the construction and public works sector (p= 0,004; ORa= 8.15; IC95% [4.13-146.1]),occupational exposure to pesticides (p = 10ˉ³, OR = 19.6 [4.23-90.70]), personal history of head trauma (p = 0.04, OR = 7.98 [1.09-58.22]), well water consumption (p = 0.05, OR = 7.28 [1.81-29, 19] and stress (p = 10ˉ³, OR = 19.87 [3.48-71.97]). The etiology of Parkinson's disease is complex and involves genetic and environmental factors. Studying these risk factors will further understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the disease.