Paraquat exposure and Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies
PubMed 30474499 · doi:10.1080/19338244.2018.1492894
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the association between paraquat exposure and Parkinson's disease. Six databases (PubMed, Cochrane libraries, EMBASE, Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge, and TOXLINE) were systematically searched. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random-effects model across 13 case-control studies containing 3,231 patients and 4,901 controls. One prospective cohort study was also included in the systematic review.
What was found
Meta-analysis of the case-control studies showed a statistically significant association between paraquat exposure and Parkinson's disease (odds ratio = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.27-2.13; I2 = 24.8%).
Why it matters
This review synthesizes observational evidence demonstrating a 64% higher odds of Parkinson's disease among individuals exposed to paraquat.
Limits
The quantitative synthesis relies entirely on retrospective case-control studies, which carry risks of recall bias and exposure misclassification. The single prospective cohort study was not meta-analyzed, and the abstract reports no data on exposure dose, duration, or adjustment for confounders.
Cited by
- supports Paraquat is a mitochondrial toxin whose exposure is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease.