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| PMID |
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| TITLE |
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| Insights from a cross-sectional population-based study of 10,929 Australians living with Parkinson's disease: risk factors, comorbidities, and sex differences. |
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| ABSTRACT |
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| BACKGROUND |
NlmCategory: UNASSIGNED |
| The pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains incompletely understood; large-scale studies are needed to further elucidate its genetic and environmental underpinnings. The Australian Parkinson's Genetics Study (APGS) is an ongoing nationwide, population-based initiative established to advance understanding of PD determinants and progression. |
| METHODS |
NlmCategory: UNASSIGNED |
| The pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains incompletely understood; large-scale studies are needed to further elucidate its genetic and environmental underpinnings. The Australian Parkinson's Genetics Study (APGS) is an ongoing nationwide, population-based initiative established to advance understanding of PD determinants and progression. We present a cross-sectional characterisation of 10,929 participants with self-reported PD recruited across Australia through assisted mail-outs, media outreach, and digital engagement. Participants complete comprehensive questionnaires capturing sociodemographic, clinical, environmental, lifestyle, and behavioural data, and provide saliva samples for genetic analysis. A control cohort is currently being recruited and not reported here. |
| FINDINGS |
NlmCategory: UNASSIGNED |
| The pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains incompletely understood; large-scale studies are needed to further elucidate its genetic and environmental underpinnings. The Australian Parkinson's Genetics Study (APGS) is an ongoing nationwide, population-based initiative established to advance understanding of PD determinants and progression. We present a cross-sectional characterisation of 10,929 participants with self-reported PD recruited across Australia through assisted mail-outs, media outreach, and digital engagement. Participants complete comprehensive questionnaires capturing sociodemographic, clinical, environmental, lifestyle, and behavioural data, and provide saliva samples for genetic analysis. A control cohort is currently being recruited and not reported here. The cohort is 63% male, with a mean age of 71 years and symptom onset at 64 years; 79% report diagnosis by a neurologist and 25% report a family history. Non-motor symptoms and neuropsychiatric comorbidities are common, including sleep disturbances, memory changes, and depression, alongside risk factors such as pesticide exposure (36%), traumatic brain injury (16%), and high-risk occupations (33%). Sex-based differences are evident: females more frequently report unilateral onset (81% vs 75%), falls (45% vs 41%), and pain (70% vs 63%), whereas males report higher rates of memory changes (67% vs 61%), pesticide exposure (42% vs 28%), high-risk occupations (44% vs 16%), and impulsive control behaviour, such as sexual behaviour (56% vs 19%). |
| INTERPRETATION |
NlmCategory: UNASSIGNED |
| The pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains incompletely understood; large-scale studies are needed to further elucidate its genetic and environmental underpinnings. The Australian Parkinson's Genetics Study (APGS) is an ongoing nationwide, population-based initiative established to advance understanding of PD determinants and progression. We present a cross-sectional characterisation of 10,929 participants with self-reported PD recruited across Australia through assisted mail-outs, media outreach, and digital engagement. Participants complete comprehensive questionnaires capturing sociodemographic, clinical, environmental, lifestyle, and behavioural data, and provide saliva samples for genetic analysis. A control cohort is currently being recruited and not reported here. The cohort is 63% male, with a mean age of 71 years and symptom onset at 64 years; 79% report diagnosis by a neurologist and 25% report a family history. Non-motor symptoms and neuropsychiatric comorbidities are common, including sleep disturbances, memory changes, and depression, alongside risk factors such as pesticide exposure (36%), traumatic brain injury (16%), and high-risk occupations (33%). Sex-based differences are evident: females more frequently report unilateral onset (81% vs 75%), falls (45% vs 41%), and pain (70% vs 63%), whereas males report higher rates of memory changes (67% vs 61%), pesticide exposure (42% vs 28%), high-risk occupations (44% vs 16%), and impulsive control behaviour, such as sexual behaviour (56% vs 19%). Leveraging APGS, the largest active PD cohort globally, our findings highlight the clinical and risk heterogeneity of PD and the importance of sex-specific research and care. The study's successful recruitment demonstrates the feasibility of large-scale remote enrolment, while its comprehensive design and ongoing expansion, including genomic profiling and digital phenotyping, position APGS as a transformative platform for advancing PD risk prediction, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic development. |
| FUNDING |
NlmCategory: UNASSIGNED |
| The pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains incompletely understood; large-scale studies are needed to further elucidate its genetic and environmental underpinnings. The Australian Parkinson's Genetics Study (APGS) is an ongoing nationwide, population-based initiative established to advance understanding of PD determinants and progression. We present a cross-sectional characterisation of 10,929 participants with self-reported PD recruited across Australia through assisted mail-outs, media outreach, and digital engagement. Participants complete comprehensive questionnaires capturing sociodemographic, clinical, environmental, lifestyle, and behavioural data, and provide saliva samples for genetic analysis. A control cohort is currently being recruited and not reported here. The cohort is 63% male, with a mean age of 71 years and symptom onset at 64 years; 79% report diagnosis by a neurologist and 25% report a family history. Non-motor symptoms and neuropsychiatric comorbidities are common, including sleep disturbances, memory changes, and depression, alongside risk factors such as pesticide exposure (36%), traumatic brain injury (16%), and high-risk occupations (33%). Sex-based differences are evident: females more frequently report unilateral onset (81% vs 75%), falls (45% vs 41%), and pain (70% vs 63%), whereas males report higher rates of memory changes (67% vs 61%), pesticide exposure (42% vs 28%), high-risk occupations (44% vs 16%), and impulsive control behaviour, such as sexual behaviour (56% vs 19%). Leveraging APGS, the largest active PD cohort globally, our findings highlight the clinical and risk heterogeneity of PD and the importance of sex-specific research and care. The study's successful recruitment demonstrates the feasibility of large-scale remote enrolment, while its comprehensive design and ongoing expansion, including genomic profiling and digital phenotyping, position APGS as a transformative platform for advancing PD risk prediction, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic development. APGS is supported by the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2), Shake It Up Australia Foundation, and Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF-021952). |
| © 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd. |
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| DATE PUBLISHED |
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| HISTORY |
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| PUBSTATUS |
PUBSTATUSDATE |
| received |
2025/08/21 |
| revised |
2026/01/24 |
| accepted |
2026/02/02 |
| medline |
2026/04/13 18:18 |
| pubmed |
2026/04/13 18:17 |
| entrez |
2026/04/13 06:34 |
| pmc-release |
2026/02/17 |
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| AUTHORS |
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| NAME |
COLLECTIVENAME |
LASTNAME |
FORENAME |
INITIALS |
AFFILIATION |
AFFILIATIONINFO |
| Cao F |
|
Cao |
Fangyuan |
F |
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School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Behavioural Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| McAloney K |
|
McAloney |
Kerrie |
K |
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Brain and Mental Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| Ogonowski NS |
|
Ogonowski |
Natalia S |
NS |
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School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Behavioural Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| García-Marín LM |
|
García-Marín |
Luis M |
LM |
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School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Behavioural Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| Díaz-Torres S |
|
Díaz-Torres |
Santiago |
S |
|
School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Behavioural Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| Flores-Ocampo V |
|
Flores-Ocampo |
Victor |
V |
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School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Behavioural Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| Ceja Z |
|
Ceja |
Zuriel |
Z |
|
School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Behavioural Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| Chafota F |
|
Chafota |
Freddy |
F |
|
Brain and Mental Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| Parker R |
|
Parker |
Richard |
R |
|
Brain and Mental Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| Ferguson M |
|
Ferguson |
Mary |
M |
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Brain and Mental Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| Cicero RA |
|
Cicero |
Rebekah A |
RA |
|
Brain and Mental Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| List-Armitage SE |
|
List-Armitage |
Susan E |
SE |
|
Brain and Mental Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| Miller V |
|
Miller |
Vicki |
V |
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Shake It Up Australia Foundation, Sydney, NSW, Australia. |
| Campbell C |
|
Campbell |
Clyde |
C |
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Shake It Up Australia Foundation, Sydney, NSW, Australia. |
| Sue CM |
|
Sue |
Carolyn M |
CM |
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Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. |
| Kumar KR |
|
Kumar |
Kishore R |
KR |
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Translational Neurogenomics Group, Genomics and Inherited Disease Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia. |
| Mellick GD |
|
Mellick |
George D |
GD |
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Griffith Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Griffith University, QLD, 4111, Australia. |
| Martin NG |
|
Martin |
Nicholas G |
NG |
|
Brain and Mental Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
| Rentería ME |
|
Rentería |
Miguel E |
ME |
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School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. |
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| INVESTIGATORS |
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| JOURNAL |
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| VOLUME: 68 |
| ISSUE: |
| TITLE: The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific |
| ISOABBREVIATION: Lancet Reg Health West Pac |
| YEAR: 2026 |
| MONTH: Mar |
| DAY: |
| MEDLINEDATE: |
| SEASON: |
| CITEDMEDIUM: Internet |
| ISSN: 2666-6065 |
| ISSNTYPE: Electronic |
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| MEDLINE JOURNAL |
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| MEDLINETA: Lancet Reg Health West Pac |
| COUNTRY: England |
| ISSNLINKING: 2666-6065 |
| NLMUNIQUEID: 101774968 |
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| PUBLICATION TYPE |
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| PUBLICATIONTYPE TEXT |
| Journal Article |
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| COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS |
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| GRANTS |
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| GENERAL NOTE |
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| KEYWORDS |
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| KEYWORD |
| Australia |
| Movement disorders |
| Neurology |
| Parkinson's disease |
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| MESH HEADINGS |
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| SUPPLEMENTARY MESH |
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| GENE SYMBOLS |
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| CHEMICALS |
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| OTHER ID's |
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