Severe influenza can double the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease later in life, according to a new research. Researchers from University of British Columbia found that severe influenza can double the odds of developing Parkinson's disease later in life, while people who contracted a typical case of red measles as children are 35 per cent less likely to develop Parkinson’s.
 
The findings were by researchers at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health and the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre. The researchers interviewed 403 Parkinson’s patients and 405 healthy people in British Columbia, Canada.

Lead author Anne Harris also examined whether occupational exposure to vibrations such as operating construction equipment had any effect on the risk of Parkinson’s.
 
In another study, Harris and her collaborators reported that occupational exposure actually decreased the risk of developing the disease by 33 per cent, compared to people whose jobs involved no exposure.
 
“There are no cures or prevention programmes for Parkinson’s, in part because we still don't understand what triggers it in some people,” said Harris, who conducted the research while earning her doctorate at UBC.
 
“This kind of painstaking epidemiological detective work is crucial in identifying the mechanisms that might be at work, allowing the development of effective prevention strategies,” she said.