Systematic review of the prevalence and incidence of Parkinson’s disease in the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

BackgroundParkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease, and obtaining accurate epidemiological data for this disease is very important for policy-making in public health. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and incidence of PD in the People’s Republic of China and explore possible future research directions.MethodsWe systematically retrieved studies of the prevalence and incidence of PD in the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and standardized the data according to the world’s population in 2000.ResultsFifteen eligible studies were retrieved. Most were cross-sectional studies, and two thirds of the research was from the People’s Republic of China. The prevalence of PD was reported in all the studies, but only two studies reported incidence data. The prevalence of PD in the People’s Republic of China ranged from 16 to 440.3/100,000, and the annual incidence ranged from 1.5 to 8.7/100,000.ConclusionThe prevalence of PD in the People’s Republic of China has been widely investigated in the studies published to date. However, due to methodological heterogeneity, the data reported by the different studies are not comparable. There is still a lack of information on the incidence of PD in the People’s Republic of China. Therefore, future research is required to answer this question.

Epidemiology of Parkinson's Disease—East Versus West

“…The record‐based studies showed a lower prevalence rate (35.8–68.3/100,000) . A recent meta‐analysis of 15 Asian studies on Chinese (10 China, two Hong Kong, three Taiwan) showed a prevalence rate of 16–440.3/100,000 (age standardized to 2000 WHO population) . The older studies from China had a lower prevalence rate, however, it was higher in a study from the elderly resident homes in Hong Kong during the same period .…”

“…In a meta‐analysis, the prevalence among the age groups 70–79 years was less in Asians compared to the Western population . These differences could be related to the smaller sample size, lower response rate, misdiagnosis, and different survival times …”

“…A recent meta‐analysis of 15 Asian studies on Chinese (10 China, two Hong Kong, three Taiwan) showed a prevalence rate of 16–440.3/100,000 (age standardized to 2000 WHO population) . The older studies from China had a lower prevalence rate, however, it was higher in a study from the elderly resident homes in Hong Kong during the same period . The prevalence rate increased to 79.5–193.3/1,00,000 when only studies from 1995 were considered .…”

“…It is influenced by the incidence and duration of illness and is a measure of disease burden in a community . Table summarizes the PD prevalence studies that have 2000 WHO population age standardized rates available …”

Parkinson’s Disease: From Pathogenesis to Pharmacogenomics

“…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 [1,2,3], PD is becoming a major age-related problem of health [4,5]. Meta-analysis of the worldwide data indicates a rising prevalence of PD with age (41 per 100,000 at 40–49 years; 107 at 50–59 years; 173 at 55–64 years; 428 at 60–69 years; 425 at 65–74 years; 1087 at 70–79 years; and 1903 per 100,000 at over age 80), also reflecting a characteristic distribution by geographic location (a prevalence of 1601 per 100,000 in patients from North America, Europe and Australia, and a prevalence of 646 per 100,000 in Asian patients [6].…”