A putative founder effect for Parkinson’s disease in South African Afrikaners

Abstract

There is evidence for a founder effect for Parkinson’s disease in South African Afrikaners. This finding is of importance for two reasons. Firstly, given that established genetic causes of PD have not been identified in the Afrikaner population, it appears likely that this population carries unique mutations that remain to be identified by genome-wide screening. Secondly, in the event that effective treatments are developed, particularly for presymptomatic patients, the Afrikaner population may be considered to be at risk and requiring careful assessment with accurate biomarkers.