This French study looked at 79 cases with a clinical diagnosis of PSP, and 79 controls who were relatives. They analyzed “demographic characteristics, occupation history, diet habits, anti-inflammatory drugs use, alcohol consumption, smoking habits, gardening and leisure activities, and exposure to pesticides.” They found no “strong environmental risk factors for PSP.”
According to the article, “only four case-control studies on risk factors of PSP” have been published. Dr. Golbe talked about these in his webinar on PSP and CBD several months ago.
The authors argue that: “These data also suggest that PSP and PD have no major risk factor in common. Similar conclusions can be drawn from studies about multiple system atrophy.”
You may note that the French used the “Golbe criteria” to diagnose PSP. I’d have to look this up again but I assume it’s those over 40, with a history of falls, cognitive issues, and supranuclear gaze palsy. (The citation is: Golbe LI. Progressive supranuclear palsy. In: Tolosa E, ed. Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders. 2nd edn. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1993:14561.)
Robin
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. 2009 Nov;80(11):1271-4.
Risk factors for progressive supranuclear palsy: a case-control study in France.
Vidal JS, Vidailhet M, Derkinderen P, de Gaillarbois TD, Tzourio C, Alpérovitch A.
INSERM Unit 708, Hôpital de La Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
BACKGROUND: The risk factors of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare but severe Parkinsonian syndrome, are poorly known.
OBJECTIVE: To study the risk factors of PSP in a case control study among French patients.
METHOD: The study was conducted between April 2000 and December 2003. Cases were in- or outpatients of five large hospitals and fulfilled the Golbe criteria. Controls were relatives of patients from the same hospitals, free of Parkinsonian syndrome and dementia, and matched to cases for age, gender and living area. Data on demographic characteristics, occupation history, diet habits, anti-inflammatory drugs use, alcohol consumption, smoking habits, gardening and leisure activities, and exposure to pesticides were collected through a face-to-face questionnaire. A conditional logistic regression was used to analyse matched data and estimate OR.
RESULTS: 79 cases and 79 controls were included. Only a few comparisons were significant. Cases reached a lower education attainment than controls (odds ratio (OR) = 2.6 (1.3 to 5.3), p = 0.01). Analysis of diet habits did not show any major difference although cases ate meat or poultry more frequently. Conversely, controls ate fruits more frequently than did cases. No association was found between PSP and occupation, use of pesticides, gardening, alcohol consumption, smoking habits and anti-inflammatory agent use.
CONCLUSION: In this case-control study, we did not find any strong environmental risk factors for PSP.
PubMed ID#: 19864660 (see pubmed.gov for abstract only, available for free)