Case-control study of estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms in Parkinson's disease.

We investigated the association of Parkinson's disease (PD) with two estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms. In a sample of 319 unrelated PD cases and 196 control subjects including both men and women, we observed no association of PD with the estrogen receptor genotypes derived from XbaI and PvuII digests. Analyses restricted to women or to cases and controls of European origin yielded similar findings. Further analyses stratified by age at examination or by family history did not show associations. While exogenous and endogenous estrogen may modify the risk of PD in women, the two estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms considered here do not seem to contribute to PD susceptibility. Copyright 2001 Movement Disorder Society.