I have only very recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I am wondering whether long-term exposure to amalgam (I have had many fillings since childhood, some of which have been removed as they’ve broken)) and exposure over the last 14 years to mould toxins from my house (I moved out of there 1.5 years ago) might have triggered the disease. I first experienced symptoms 4 years ago; I’ll soon be turning 54. My grandfather was given the same diagnosis at the age of 64. I have also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (stable for the past 13 years, treated with lithium). Which of the factors I have mentioned are risk factors for Parkinson’s disease?

It is very difficult to be certain about risk factors and protective factors; there are probably many different factors that can influence the risk of developing Parkinson’s, and we do not actually know why people develop the disease. Amalgam is probably not a risk factor for Parkinson’s, although there are reports suggesting a slight increase in risk. Mould is probably not a risk factor; perhaps quite the opposite – that anti-mould agents could cause Parkinson’s. There are several people in Sweden who worked on impregnating orange wrapping paper with the anti-mould agent diphenyl and who developed Parkinson’s a number of years ago. Lithium treatment can cause tremors as a common side effect, but it probably does not cause Parkinson’s. However, there are reports that people with bipolar disorder are at a slightly higher risk of developing Parkinson’s. The fact that your grandfather had Parkinson’s is probably your biggest risk factor, but even this is not a particularly strong one. /Dag Nyholm