In France, the total cost of pollution to health is estimated at between €1 billion and approximately €2 billion/year, according to a study conducted by Isabella Annesi Maesano, a research director at Inserm, and her colleagues (Inserm Unit 1136, Epidemiology of Allergic and Respiratory Diseases). In other words, 15-31% of the 2012 deficit (€5.5 billion) for the health insurance branch of France’s general social security scheme.

The object of this study was to approximate as closely as possible the share of the costs attributable to air pollution of the total paid by the health system for the five most common respiratory disorders (COPD, chronic and acute bronchitis, asthma and respiratory tract cancer), hospitalisation for these pathologies, and hospitalisation associated with cardiovascular disease. These costs are generated when the patient is receiving care under the healthcare system (cost of consultations, treatments, tests or hospitalisation). The study also attempted to estimate the costs of social benefits paid to patients, and those associated with sick leave related to these diseases.

For the authors of this study, in a context of responding to a major public health impact (low individual risk, but affecting the entire population), and regulatory requirements for air quality (European directives transposed into French law), a better knowledge of the costs generated by air pollution for the French healthcare system may represent an important consideration when formulating public health policy.

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In France, Parkinson’s disease affects more than 150 000 people[1], and there are 6.5 million sufferers in the world, a figure set to increase as the population ages.

World Parkinson’s Day is taking place on 11 April, in memory of the anniversary of the birth of Dr James Parkinson, the first physician to describe the symptoms of this degenerative disease, in 1817.  

A condition that is still of largely unknown cause, Parkinson’s disease is characterised by progressive degeneration of the neurons that produce dopamine. The symptoms are motor-related, with tremor being the best known, but they also include slowness of movement, a feeling of stiffness, difficulty with writing, and pains.

This year, the day is specifically devoted to interruptions in care, and is an opportunity to remind the general public that Parkinson’s disease is not a rare disease. Thus, throughout France, public institutions and associations, especially the France Parkinson association, are taking initiatives to welcome the public and inform them about this serious condition.

Throughout the year, researchers from Inserm work hard to better understand this disease and develop new therapies.

In particular, Inserm Unit 1084, “Experimental and Clinical Neurosciences Laboratory,” is working to develop cellular therapies to repair the brain lesions seen in Parkinson’s disease. The first results have been successful in animals. The researchers are now trying to obtain other sources of cells capable of developing into neurons that may be transplanted to repair the injured brain.

Read the press release about this team recent findings: «Repairing the cerebral cortex: it can be done »

Meanwhile, the members of Inserm Unit 1127, “Brain and Spinal Cord Institute,” are interested in the molecular and genetic mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease. A better understanding of the cause of neuronal death should make it possible to identify new symptomatic and curative therapies.

Finally, Benjamin Dehay, Inserm researcher, and his team at Joint Research Unit 5293, “Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases,” are working on the cellular and molecular bases for the processes underlying movement impairments in Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes (20% of syndromes). They are mainly focusing on the mechanisms that lead to the total loss of response to L-dopamine in these atypical syndromes.

[1] Source: DREES (Directorate for Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics), Étude sur l’état de santé de la population en France, édition 2015 (Study on the State of Health of the French Population, 2015 Edition).

In order to limit the health risks associated with the use of drugs, certain countries have set up supervised injection centres where drug addicts can inject under the supervision of qualified personnel.

In 2010, the French General Health Administration asked Inserm to perform a collective report on the theme of Reducing the risks in drug users. The aim was to report on what scientific knowledge we had of existing schemes and programmes on an international scale, the contexts in which they were set up and their impact on the experimental projects in progress.

More than ten experts (epidemiologists, sociologists, addictologists, etc.) studied in particular how these centres had been set up in neighbouring countries such asSpain,Switzerland,Germany, the impact of these schemes and the projects in progress.

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