Braun, AbigailVan Coller, RiaanAmod, Ferzana HassanCarr, JonathanMoosa, ShahidaBardien, Soraya2025-06-252025-06-252024-02Braun, A., Van Coller, R., Amod, F.H. et al. 2024, 'Genetic screening of South African families with parkinson’s disease', South African Medical Journal, vol. 114, no. 2, pp. 55-56. https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2024.v114i2.1750.0256-9574 (print)2078-5135 (online)10.7196/SAMJ.2024.v114i2.1750http://hdl.handle.net/2263/102991Parkinson’s disease (PD) appears to be increasing exponentially throughout the world, including in populations in sub-Saharan Africa. The largest known risk factor for PD is increased age. Other risk factors include exposure to environmental factors (such as pesticides), male sex, a positive family history and genetic factors. Over the past three decades, the discoveries of pathogenic variants in a large number of genes have highlighted a genetic component in about one in five people living with PD. These discoveries have led to important insights into the cellular mechanisms that lead to the death of dopaminergic neurons.en© 2024 A Braun, R Van Coller, FH Amod, J Carr, S. Moosa, S Bardien. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License.Parkinson’s disease (PD)Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA)Risk factorAgeEditorialArticle