Prevalence and Incidence of Huntington's Disease: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Abstract

The incidence and prevalence of Huntington's disease (HD) based on a systematic review and meta‐analysis of 20 studies published from 1985 to 2010 was estimated at 0.38 per 100,000 person‐years (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16–0.94) and 2.71 per 100,000 persons (95% CI, 1.55–4.72), respectively. Since 2010, there have been many new epidemiological studies of HD. We sought to update the global estimates of HD incidence and prevalence using data published up to February 2022 and perform additional analyses based on study continent. Medline and Embase were searched for epidemiological studies of HD published between 2010 and 2022. Risk of bias was assessed using a quality assessment tool. Estimated pooled prevalence or incidence was calculated using a random‐effects meta‐analysis. A total of 33 studies published between 2010 and 2022 were included. Pooled incidence was 0.48 cases per 100,000 person‐years (95% CI, 0.33–0.63). Subgroup analysis by continent demonstrated a significantly higher incidence of HD in Europe and North America than in Asia. Pooled prevalence was 4.88 per 100,000 (95% CI, 3.38–7.06). Subanalyses by continent demonstrated that the prevalence of HD was significantly higher in Europe and North America than in Africa. The minor increase in prevalence (more so than incidence) demonstrated in this updated review could relate to the enhanced availability of molecular testing, earlier diagnosis, increased life expectancy, and de novo mutations. Limitations include variable case ascertainment methods and lacking case validation data. © 2022 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Health Agency of Canada.

Global Epidemiology of Movement Disorders: Rare or Underdiagnosed?

“…A recent meta-analysis using studies from 2011 to 2022 estimated the global prevalence of HD as 4.88 per 100,000 individuals (95% CI: 3.38–7.06). 126 In the same analysis, lower prevalence of HD was reported in Africa and Asia, compared with Europe, North America, and South America.…”

Assessment of movement disorders using wearable sensors during upper limb tasks: A scoping review

“…When comparing these numbers with the prevalence of the abovementioned conditions, an important imbalance emerges. Worldwide, approximately 101 million people are living post-stroke ( Feigin et al, 2022 ), 25 million people live with essential tremor ( Song et al, 2021 ), 17 million people live with CP ( McIntyre et al, 2011 ), 10 million people are estimated to live with PD ( Van Den Eeden, 2003 ; Okubadejo et al, 2006 ; Marras et al, 2018 ), approximately 0.2–3 million people live with ataxia, depending on the type ( Musselman et al, 2014 ; Ruano et al, 2014 ) and 0.2 to 0.5 million people live with HD, depending on the geographical area ( Crowell et al, 2021 ; Medina et al, 2022 ). While stroke is much more prevalent than PD or essential tremor, this ratio is not reflected in the number of available studies per condition.…”

Assessment of upper limb movement disorders using wearable sensors during functional tasks: a systematic review

“…When comparing these numbers with the prevalence of the abovementioned conditions, an important imbalance emerges. Worldwide, approximately 101 million people are living post-stroke [147], 25 million people live with essential tremor [148], 17 million people live with CP [149], 10 million people are estimated to live with PD [150][151][152], approximately 0.2 to 3 million people live with ataxia, depending on the type [153,154] and 0.2 to 0.5 million people live with HD, depending on the geographical area [155,156]. While stroke is much more prevalent than PD or essential tremor, this ratio is not reflected in the number of available studies per condition.…”