Parkinson's Disease Health Center

Pesticides: A Link to Parkinson's?

Boxing and Parkinson's

Muhammad Ali is at once the world's most famous living boxing legend and the world's most famous Parkinson's patient. His two-decade struggle with the disease has focused the spotlight on head trauma as a potential cause of the neurological disorder.

While the European study suggests a link, it cannot show a causal association because it was not clear if the Parkinson's patients in the study suffered head trauma before or after their disease was diagnosed.

If confirmed, the finding would have major implications for all contact sports, particularly boxing, Dick and colleagues wrote.

National Parkinson Foundation medical director Michael S. Okun, MD, tells WebMD that the European study adds to the growing body of evidence linking specific environmental triggers to Parkinson's disease.

But he adds that these triggers probably tell only part of the story.

"It would be a mistake to assume that this is a disease linked directly to pesticides or linked directly to genes and to close the door on potential interactions between them," he notes in a written statement. "While the causes of Parkinson's aren't known, it is likely influenced by a combination of factors, such as a genetic predisposition for the disease, coupled with environmental triggers."