Yasmina Kattou, edited by Laura Laplaud 08h02, April 11, 2023
On the occasion of World Parkinson's Day, Europe 1 returns to this neurodegenerative disease that affects 270,000 French people. If this disease is often associated with the elderly, 20% of patients would be under 60 years old according to associations.25,000 new people are affected by Parkinson's disease each year. This pathology, which causes, among other things, muscle rigidity, motor disorders, or tremors, affects more and more young people in their forties. According to associations, people under 60 represent 20% of patients today.
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Exposure to several pollutants
What for? Several hypotheses exist. In rich, industrialized countries, significant exposure to several pollutants increases the risk of developing the disease at a young age, as Marie Fuzzati, scientific director of the Parkinson's France Association, explains. "Pesticides, in food, in packaged products will contribute largely to increasing new cases of Parkinson's patients and even more so in young people because they have been exposed to them since birth."
A genetic predisposition
In recent years, health professionals have been able to better detect the disease in people under 60 years of age. "We're not automatically going to rule out Parkinson's disease in someone younger because we now know it can happen. There is a better awareness of the symptoms of the disease among the youngest, we are more aware of it, "she continues at the microphone of Europe 1.
Dr. Marie Fuzzati also recalls that 10 to 15% of Parkinson's cases, especially in young people, are explained by a genetic predisposition.