Cape Town - New research shows that there is a strong ancestral link to Parkinson’s disease among Afrikaners of Dutch and German descent.
The study, conducted by Stellenbosch University, revealed that in about 50 Afrikaans families with Parkinson’s, the illness could be traced to their European ancestors who had settled in South Africa in the 1600s.
While several disorders, such as Huntington’s disease, schizophrenia and progressive familial heart block have been found among those with Dutch, French and German roots, this is the first time Parkinson’s has been linked to this group.
The disease, which is characterised by tremors, muscle rigidity and changes in speech and gait, is caused by progressive loss of neurons in the brain stem, which produces dopamine.
Dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter, a chemical released by nerve cells to send signals to other nerve cells.
Of almost 200 Parkinson’s probands (the first affected family member to seek medical attention for a genetic disorder) who were analysed when the study started in 2009, a total of 32 percent were Afrikaners.
The ancestors of the 48 Afrikaans families analysed in the study could be traced back for at least eight generations.
After family trees were constructed, it emerged that the first 12 families in the study group were linked to a single ancestral couple. The couple were married in South Africa in 1668. The man originated from the Netherlands and his wife from Germany.
In 40 of the Parkinson’s probands, at least one line of descent linked them to the ancestral couple – suggesting strong evidence that the couple could be the founder or originator of the disease in South Africa.
The remaining eight families were not able to provide information to trace their ancestry back for more than three or four generations. In 40 families there were two or more family members with Parkinson’s.
Researcher Professor Jonathan Carr, head of neurology at Stellenbosch University, said the latest findings suggested that people with Dutch or German ancestors were more at risk of developing Parkinson’s.
Research showed that about one-third of Afrikaners originated from Holland, slightly less from Germany and a quarter from France.
Carr said Afrikaners needed to be assessed carefully with accurate biomarkers. In the event that effective treatments were developed, they should be given priority.
Cape Argus