Michael J. Fox and the Parkinson’s cluster
Here is another unusual disease cluster. Michael J. Fox most likely contracted Parkinson’s disease in the late 1970s while working on a TV series in his native Canada. Intriguingly, 4 other members of the crew also contracted Parkinson’s.
According to this NY Times article, Parkinson’s ‘Clusters’ Getting a Closer Look:
The four people worked together from 1976 to 1980, when it is possible that the disease began in all of them.
Probability about 1 in 1,000
After studying the cluster:
Dr. Donald Calne, director of the neurodegenerative disorders center at the University of British Columbia, estimates that the odds of the four cases occurring at the same time in such a small group of people are less than 1 in 1,000.
Some of the reasoning behind this conclusion:
Typically, Parkinson’s disease afflicts one in 300 people. In people as young as Michael J. Fox, 30 when the disease was diagnosed in 1991, the illness is much rarer. Fewer than 5 percent of Parkinson’s patients develop symptoms before age 50, said Dr. Caroline Tanner of the Parkinson’s Institute. The Vancouver cluster includes Mr. Fox and a woman who learned she had Parkinson’s at age 38.
[...] Parkinson’s progresses gradually, taking 5 to 10 years from the time it starts to the appearance of the first symptoms — usually, rigidity in an arm or leg or tremor in a hand.
A Possible Cause
There is speculation that some environmental agent was the cause of this cluster. One possibility is a drug, since:
There are three classes of drugs that are likely to produce Parkinsonism:
1. Dopamine receptor blocking agents, including the phenothiazines (such as Compazine, Stelazine, and Thorazine), butyrophenones (such as Haldol), and metoclopramide (Reglan).
2. Dopamine-depleting agents, including reserpine (rarely used) and tetrabenazine (used to control dyskinesia)
3. Drugs that act by various known and unknown mechanisms, including the atypical antipsychotic drugs such as Resperidal, Orap, and Zyprexa). (Source)
There have been cases of drug addicts who have taken a badly ‘cooked’ dose and have had Parkinson’s-like symptoms.
Other environmental factors in Parkinson’s include weedkillers and pesticides:
One study shows that farm workers who used the common weedkiller paraquat had two to three times the normal risk of Parkinson’s, a degenerative brain disease that eventually paralyzes patients.
Connection with the ABC Breast Cancer Cluster
This story reminds me of the breast cancer cluster in the ABC television studios in Brisbane Australia, which I wrote about recently. In that case, the probability of the cluster was estimated to be 1 in a million, but I have not been able to find out how that probability was reached.
Higher Risk of Parkison’s
Something that worries me is that those at higher risk of contracting Parkinson’s Disease are teachers (that’s me) and medical workers. Other high risk occupations include farm workers, loggers and miners.
Footnote
Curiously, in one trial, Gambling and sex addiction caused by Parkinson’s drug, we read:
Apparently after taking the drugs, called dopamine agonists, some patients have developed gambling habits so severe, that some of them lost more than £100,000 in six months,while others developed behavioural problems, including compulsive eating, increased alcohol consumption, and an insatiable appetite for sex.
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Li-sa said,
September 13, 2007 at 1:32 pm
If you can read Chinese: 「物以類聚」(Those of the same group cluster)?
Alan Cooper said,
September 15, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Here (unlike the ABC case), the researcher, Dr Calne, does correctly describe the probability that he is talking about, and if I was in such a cluster or responsible for public safety in the region where it occurred I would certainly want to check for possible causes.
But the world does include several thousand groups of similar size (even including equally famous individuals), and there are also many rare diseases whose increase would attract attention, so, even given the one-in-a-thousand probability, I would not be surprised to hear of several stories like this even if there were no non-chance causes involved.
zac said,
October 8, 2007 at 7:33 am
Thanks for your comment, Alan.
I’m still thinking about that gambling addiction linked to dopamine agonists. Is it possible that all addictions involve an environmental chemical imbalance?
Janice R. England said,
January 10, 2008 at 3:52 am
Has there been research of previous land-use of the studios in Vancouver and Brisbane to determine if they were built on old dumpsites? It’s possible that the environmental cause of the illnesses is buried beneath the ground. Studies have linked serious illnesses to exposure to cancer-causing chemicals present in most closed dumps (landfills).
The high rate of Parkinson’s disease among teachers may be the result of building many schools on top of toxic waste dumps. Contact our organization for more information.
Janice R. England
People Investigating Toxic Sites
toxicsites.org
toxicsites@hotmail.com
zac said,
January 10, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Hi Janice and thanks for the input.
I’m not aware of any studies into the previous land use of the sites involved, but what you suggest is certainly plausible.
I checked out your toxicsites.org. You may wish to add this example from my hometown in Australia to your list of home sites built on waste sites. A housing development was built on a disused timber pole impregnation plant. It took 3 years to resolve the legal wranglings. More here.
Janice R. England said,
January 11, 2008 at 7:37 am
Zak,
I will add you hometown to our list. Thank you for the link. Were there illnesses from exposure to chemicals in the dump? Was groundwater contaminated?
I continue to be surprised and disappointed that historical research is overlooked in many environmental investigations. A title search needs to be conducted on the studio property where Michael J. Fox and at least four other members of cast and crew were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Research of old maps of the area would also be helpful in finding previous land-use. Does anyone know exact location of the studio?
Janice
toxicsites.org
toxicsites@hotmail.com