Genetic screening of South African families with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) appears to be increasing exponentially throughout the world, including in populations in sub-Saharan Africa. The largest known risk factor for PD is increased age. Other risk factors include exposure to environmental factors (such as pesticides), male sex, a positive family history and genetic factors. Over the past three decades, the discoveries of pathogenic variants in a large number of genes have highlighted a genetic component in about one in five people living with PD. These discoveries have led to important insights into the cellular mechanisms that lead to the death of dopaminergic neurons.