A recent study indicates that people may be more susceptible to Parkinson’s disease in the future if they are exposed to more air pollution over time.

Researchers have been examining possible connections between air pollution and the terminal degenerative illness for years. In this condition, nerve cells in the region of the brain responsible for motor function degrade, leading to speech impediments, tremors, and stiffness.

According to scientists, a mix of environmental and hereditary variables contribute to Parkinson’s disease.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is one possible culprit since it can breach the blood-brain barrier, causing oxidative stress and inflammation as well as activating the brain’s immune system to fight against infections. PM2.5 can travel great distances.

According to experts at the Barrow Neurological Institute, these variables may facilitate the onset and progression of Parkinson’s.

Researchers from the Barrow Neurological Institute and Mayo Clinic in the United States have found that these characteristics may facilitate the onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Their most recent research, which was published in the journal JAMA Network Open, indicates that a person’s cumulative exposure to air pollution may also be a significant factor in Parkinson’s disease development and that reducing exposure may be able to do so.

Lowering air pollution may “not only [prevent the] development of Parkinson’s disease but also [improve] the quality of life of patients that [already have it],” senior study author and Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr. Rodolfo Savica told Euronews Health.

The study monitored the amounts of pollutant exposure in roughly 5,200 participants, 350 of whom had Parkinson’s disease, from 1998 to 2019.

Researchers discovered that in the ten years prior to their diagnosis, individuals were more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease if they had been exposed to higher concentrations of PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide, which are mostly emitted by power plants, automobiles, and other fuel sources.

According to Savica, residents of urban regions with the highest concentrations of air pollution had a 23% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than residents of neighborhoods with the lowest concentrations.

In contrast to those who were exposed to lower pollution levels over time, Parkinson’s patients with higher PM2.5 exposure levels were more likely to experience akinetic rigidity, or the stiffness and tremors that are typical of the disease, as well as dyskinesia, or muscle spasms in the face, arms, legs, or torso.