Mystery behind early-age Parkinson's

["M.Schild" <mmoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 Scientists may have finally found why Parkinson's is fast become a young 
man's disease. Researchers from Columbia University's Taub Institute for 
Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain and departments of 
pathology and neurology in New York have now revealed that people with a 
mutation in their glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene are more likely to develop 
ParkinsonÃââs disease before they turn 50. 
 
 The GBA gene creates an enzyme which breaks down toxic substances, digests 
bacteria that invade our bodies and recycles worn-out cell components. This 
gene could also explain why more and more Indians in their 30s are being 
diagnosed with Parkinson's. 
 
 Hardly known in the 1990s, the phenomenon of young onset Parkinson's is now 
becoming a reality, globally. Till recently, less than 3% of Indians 
suffering from Parkinson's were in their 30s and 40s. Now, doctors say, the 
number has easily crossed 10%. 
 
 Till now, Parkinson's was an old man's disease, appearing mostly in people in 
their 60s. Dr Alok Gupta, founder of the ParkinsonÃââs Foundation of India, 
said that over the last five years, lifestyle had emerged as one of the main 
causes for Parkinson's. 
 
 "In India, 360 people per lakh suffer from the disease, which has no known 
cause and no cure. Over 5% of those over 60 are afflicted," he said. 
 
 "Till now, we suspected the main cause behind young onset Parkinson's to be 
the jet-setting modern-day lifestyle, increased stress, improper diet and 
inadequate sleep. We now know the cause could even be genetic," an expert 
from Vimhans told TOI. 
 
 He added,"Everyone with mutations don't develop Parkinson's disease according 
to the study. What this gene does is modify the age at onset of Parkinson's 
for some patients, affecting them at a younger age." 
 
 The latest study, among 278 people, revealed that 14% of people with 
Parkinson's carried mutations in the GBA gene compared to only 5% of people 
without the disease. The gene abnormality was found in 22% of people who were 
diagnosed with Parkinson's before age 50 compared to 10% of people with 
disease onset after age 50.

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