Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most important
neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly population, after Alzheimer’sdisease. With a prevalence ranging from 35.8 per 100,000 to 12,500 per 100,000
and annual incidence estimates ranging from 1.5 per 100,000 to 346 per 100,000
in different countries, PD represents today a major age-related problem of
health. Meta-analysis of the world wide data indicates a rising prevalence of
PD with age (from 41 per 100,000 at 40-49 years to 1,903 per 100,000 at over
age 80).
PD also shows a characteristic distribution by geographic location (a
prevalence of 1,601 per 100,000 in patients from North America, Europe and
Australia, and a prevalence of 646 per 100,000 in Asian patients). PD is more
prevalent in males (1,729 per 100,000, >65 yrs) than in females (1,644 per
100,000), with a peak prevalence in the age group of ≥ 90 years (4,633 cases
per 100,000), and a mean prevalence of 1,680 per 100,000 in people older than
65 years of age. Prevalence and incidence Male/Female ratios increase by 0.05
and 0.14, respectively, per 10 years of age. Incidence is similar in men and
women under 50 years (M/F ratio <1.2), and over 1.6 times higher in men than
women over 80 years [8].(Read more)
