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A new study has revealed that those who reside within a mile of golf courses had a 126 percent higher risk of acquiring Parkinson's disease than people who live more than six miles away.

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the areas most affected were those that shared drinking water sources with water utilized close to golf courses, the UK Independenr reported.

This suggests that the number of Parkinson's cases may be influenced through pesticides used on golf courses, researchers stated.

Parkinson's disease affects 1.1 million people in US

Parkinson's disease is a neurological condition that, according to the Parkinson's Foundation, affects roughly 1.1 million people in the US and 10 million people worldwide. While treatments are available for Parkinson's disease, there is no cure for it.

The experts used data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on golf course locations across the US and 224 water service areas spread across 27 counties in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The association between case frequency and location was studied using data from 711 municipal wells from the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office.

California records most number of Parkinson's disease fatalities

The researchers found 450 incident cases of Parkinson's disease between 1991 and 2015 in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

"The odds of PD were relatively constant within close proximity to a golf course and decreased linearly as distance increased; individuals living farther from a golf course had reduced odds of PD, decreasing relative to the distance from the nearest golf course," the researchers explained.

According to the Parkinson's Foundation, regions like the Rust Belt, which encompasses portions of the Midwest, have seen a surge in cases. The foundation also reports high rates of cases in Florida, Central Pennsylvania, Southeastern Texas, and Southern California.

California recorded the most number of Parkinson's fatalities with 4,289, while Utah reported the highest rate of Parkinson's mortality at 12.4%, as per the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention .

Effects of Parkinson's disease

The Mayo Clinic states that Parkinson's disease affects the nerve system and causes symptoms including stiff muscles, tremors, and delayed movement.

Men are 1.25 times more likely than women to be diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which is thought to be triggered by a mix of external and hereditary factors.

Some of the initial signs of Parkinson's disease included walking difficulties, soft or slurred speech, and a lack of facial expression.