other conditions. Because such a high proportion of subjects were from the VHAPORHCS/OHSU site, subsequent data analysis was restricted to the veteran PD patients from that location, creating a final cohort of 40 patients. The study team’s focus was on any significant dif- ferences between the two groups of primary grouping variable in terms of baseline demographics (age, edu- cation, sex) and clinical characteristics (disease dura- tion, Movement Disorder Society-Sponsored Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) scores, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) and Modified Schwab & England Activity of Daily Living (MSEADL). The researchers looked for potential prognostic differences between the two groups using the Global Composite Outcome (GCO, which is an aggregate numeric indicator merging the most clinical domains of the MDS-UPDRS, MSEADL and MoCA, such that higher GCO values indicate worse global disease burden. In the cohort chosen for analysis, the prevalence of history of AO exposure was 70% (28 out of 40). The results indicated no significant differences in demo- graphics or clinical characteristics, including GCO, between the two groups. “Specifically, we then calculated and compared estimated marginal means (EMM) of selected variables between the two groups after adjusting for covari- ates (age, sex, education, and disease duration,” the authors explained, adding, “Of note, there was a trend towards significant differences in two clinical char- acteristics: MoCA score, which represents cognitive function, was lower at 22. 36 ± 4. 44 in exposed versus 25. 27 ± 4. 36 in the unexposed group; MDS-UPDRS Part II score, which represents patient reported motor aspects of activities of daily living, was higher at 19. 75 ± 10. 50 in exposed versus 13. 75 ± 9. 43 in unexposed. ” To further estimate potential differences in these two variables, the study team calculated the partici- pants’ EMM and found that the difference for the two groups was 2. 92 (adjusted p-value of 0. 072) and 6.0 (adjusted p-value 0. 096) for the MoCA and the MDS- UPDRS Part II scores, respectively. The researchers concluded, “Our prospective clini- cal research study found no statistically significant differences in MoCA, MDS-UPDRS, MSEADL and GCO, in U. S. veterans with and without AO exposure. However, trends in MoCA and MDS-UPDRS Part II suggest potential clinically meaningful distinctions that likely require a larger sample size for confirmation. ” 1Iyer V, Zweber C, Zurlo I, Golnari P, Prantzalos K, Lobb BM, Clarke D, Boyd JT, Sahoo SS, Tatsuoka C, Gupta DK, Hiller AL. Parkinson’s disease with and without history of Agent Orange exposure: A prospective study of US Veterans. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2026 Mar;144:108220. doi: 10. 1016/j. parkrel- dis. 2026. 108220. Epub 2026 Jan 28. PMID: 41619528. 2Yang Y, Cheon M, Kwak YT. Is Parkinson’s Disease with History of Agent Orange Exposure Different from Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease? Dement Neurocogn Disord. 2016 Sep;15(3):75-81. doi: 10. 12779/dnd. 2016. 15. 3. 75. Epub 2016 Sep 30. PMID: 30906346; PMCID: PMC6427963. USAF Occupation and Environmental Health Laboratory Inspection of the Agent Orange Inventory at NCBC in Gulf port,1975. SOURCE: Courtesy of USAF 6 6
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