Systematic review of incidence studies of Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Incidence studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) are important for both health-care planning and epidemiological research. This report reviews the methods and results of previous incidence studies of PD and makes recommendations for future studies. Original articles that described the incidence of PD were located using several strategies. The methods were summarised, and the results of studies with similar methodologies were compared on a standardised population. Twenty-five incidence studies were included. Each used different methods to identify incident patients, although most screened both primary care and hospital records. Only eight studies were prospective, and only two of these had any follow-up. The diagnostic criteria for PD varied (11 studies used two or more cardinal motor features, four used the UK Brain Bank criteria), as did the exclusion criteria and the definition of an incident case. In 16 studies, attempts were made to confirm the diagnosis by examination of patients by a specialist as part of the study. None of the studies used identical methods, but five were sufficiently similar to merit comparison. Four of these gave a similar incidence (16-19/100000/year), but one from Italy had a much lower incidence (8.4/100000), the reason for which was unclear. Five studies found significantly greater incidence in men. This review highlights the difficulties in performing good quality incidence studies of PD. Further incidence studies using standardised methods are required. A set of minimal scientific criteria has been devised to improve the quality and consistency of future studies.

Postural control during a sit-to-stand task in individuals with mild Parkinson's disease

“…Male subjects were selected as the incidence of PD in males has been reported to be as much as twice as in females (Twelves et al 2003). Ten male age-matched control subjects (age=65.5 ± 12.4 years; mass=80.1 ± 9.7 kg; height=176.5 ± 8.7 cm) were recruited from the community.…”

Reduced 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy)-Initiated Oxidative DNA Damage and Neurodegeneration in Prostaglandin H Synthase-1 Knockout Mice

“…Alzheimer's disease is more prevalent in women than in men (47), while Parkinson's disease is more prevalent in men (48). We found no gender differences in DNA oxidation, dopamine nerve terminal damage, or motor deficits with any MDMA stereoisomer or PHS-1 genotype tested, although there DOI: 10.1021/cn900022w |ACS Chem.…”

Parkinson's disease – pathology, aetiology and diagnosis

“…8 There is a great variability in reported incidence rates, probably due to differences in diagnostic criteria and case ascertainment, with reported rates in Western countries ranging from 8.6 to 19.0 per 100,000 population. 9 Rates are around 1.5 times higher in men than in women although this varies across different studies. 10 Western populations, Australia and Asian countries including Korea and Singapore, have a similar prevalence.…”