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according to new research that investigators say highlights the growing strain on clinical services and the need for more research funding.
In an analysis of five databases and more than 15 million people, about 60,000-90,000 individuals older than 45 years are estimated to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year – which is far more than the previous estimate of around 40,000-60,000 new cases annually.
This is the latest study to update decades-old epidemiologic data on Parkinson’s disease incidence and prevalence. Previous incidence rates came from small, single-population studies that are now more than 25 years old.
“In the advocacy community, we’ve been earnest about the impact of people living with Parkinson’s disease, and what we really lacked was sufficient data to be able to demonstrate the urgency of our need,” said study coinvestigator James Beck, PhD, chief scientific officer at the Parkinson’s Foundation, New York.
“We wanted to revise these numbers, highlight that they are larger than people anticipated, and use it as a call to action to change the approach we have toward Parkinson’s,” Dr. Beck said.
The findings were published online in NPJ Parkinson’s Disease.
Updating an outdated model
The study builds on the Parkinson’s Prevalence Project, a 2018 initiative that used a new model to calculate Parkinson’s disease prevalence. Before then, federal prevalence data was based on a 40-year-old study of just 26 Parkinson’s disease cases in one small county in rural Mississippi.
Dr. Beck and others used a more sophisticated model, using data from five separate cohort studies. They estimated the total number of patients living with Parkinson’s disease in the United States to be 930,000, which is far higher than the 650,000 the old model predicted.
Researchers then moved on to the current project, developing a new method to estimate Parkinson’s disease incidence.
The project included 2012 data on more than 15 million individuals in the United States and Canada. The investigators drew from three large insurance databases (Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Ontario Health Care, and Medicare) and two long-term epidemiologic studies (the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study and the Rochester Epidemiology Project).
On the basis of their analysis, the investigators proposed a working Parkinson’s disease incident rate estimate of 47-77 cases per 100,000 people aged 45 years or older. Limiting the analysis to those aged 65 or older raised the incidence to 108-212 per 100,000 people.
That translates to 60,000-95,000 new cases each year among adults aged 45 years or older. Using the Medicare administrative database alone for this same time period suggests an annual incidence of nearly 90,000 for individuals aged 65 or older.
“The numbers we’re proposing are conservative,” Dr. Beck said. “The true numbers are probably north of 90,000.”
Incidence rates increased with age and were higher in men. The researchers also identified clusters of counties with higher incidence rates in parts of the country called the “Parkinson’s belt.”
That geographic area mirrors the Rust Belt and includes parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States with a long history of industrial manufacturing that used heavy metals and industrial solvents, which are environmental factors linked to risk for Parkinson’s disease.
Cases were also higher in southern California, southeastern Texas, and Florida – agricultural regions with high pesticide use, which is also a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. Central Pennsylvania also had higher incidence rates.
Why the increase?
The increase in cases could be the result of the more comprehensive estimation model used, the researchers noted. Or it could be improved detection, the aging population, a rise in sedentary lifestyles, increased exposure to environmental risk factors, or even the sharp decline in smoking in the United States, as some studies have shown that smokers have a lower Parkinson’s disease risk.
“The short answer is, we don’t know; and the long answer is, it’s all the above,” Dr. Beck said.
Although about 15% of Parkinson’s disease cases have a genetic basis, the cause is unknown in the majority of cases. In addition, diagnosis is difficult because there is no blood test or scan that detects the disease.
“Diagnosis requires a skilled clinician with real familiarity with Parkinson’s. And we have a real shortage of neurologists in this country to not only be able to diagnose but also to treat the condition,” Dr. Beck said.
That was one motivation for doing the study: to highlight what experts say is a pending clinical crisis for patients with Parkinson’s disease, he added.
The investigators also wanted to raise awareness about the scope of the disorder – not just about prevalence and incidence but also what those data mean for the health care industry, research aims, drug development and health care coverage, and policies.
In a 2020 study, the same researchers calculated a cost of $52 billion per year for medical and nonmedical costs related to Parkinson’s disease, which works out to about $26,000 per year per patient. That figure is expected to surpass $79 billion by 2030.
“This is an urgent condition for many people who live with the disease. And to the extent we can get our country to recognize that and really make the investment now, this is an area where a stitch in time saves nine,” Dr. Beck said.
“If we can invest some money now, we have a chance to really make a difference in the future,” he added.
‘Groundbreaking’ findings
Commenting on the findings, Jori Fleisher, MD, MSCE, associate professor of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, called the results “groundbreaking” and said that they validate what clinicians have been seeing in real-world practice.
“The findings reflect what a lot of us in practice have been appreciating anecdotally, which is that it seems that Parkinson’s is being diagnosed more frequently and that the incidence has been rising,” said Dr. Fleisher, who was not involved with the study.
She noted that the use of multiple datasets is one element of the methodology that makes the data so significant.
“There has been great work out of individual centers; but no matter how good your study methods are within that one population, you’re drawing conclusions based on that one population,” Dr. Fleisher said.
This research, together with the previous work by the group on prevalence data, could go a long way toward raising awareness about the scope of Parkinson’s disease in the United States – which could lead to earlier diagnosis, more research funding, and increased attention on the need for more clinicians who specialize in movement disorders, she added.
“This should increase research funding across the spectrum, including everything from the basic science to translational research, clinical research and implementation, and health services research,” Dr. Fleisher said.
The study was supported by the Parkinson’s Foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Dr. Beck and Dr. Fleisher reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
according to new research that investigators say highlights the growing strain on clinical services and the need for more research funding.
In an analysis of five databases and more than 15 million people, about 60,000-90,000 individuals older than 45 years are estimated to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year – which is far more than the previous estimate of around 40,000-60,000 new cases annually.
This is the latest study to update decades-old epidemiologic data on Parkinson’s disease incidence and prevalence. Previous incidence rates came from small, single-population studies that are now more than 25 years old.
“In the advocacy community, we’ve been earnest about the impact of people living with Parkinson’s disease, and what we really lacked was sufficient data to be able to demonstrate the urgency of our need,” said study coinvestigator James Beck, PhD, chief scientific officer at the Parkinson’s Foundation, New York.
“We wanted to revise these numbers, highlight that they are larger than people anticipated, and use it as a call to action to change the approach we have toward Parkinson’s,” Dr. Beck said.
The findings were published online in NPJ Parkinson’s Disease.
Updating an outdated model
The study builds on the Parkinson’s Prevalence Project, a 2018 initiative that used a new model to calculate Parkinson’s disease prevalence. Before then, federal prevalence data was based on a 40-year-old study of just 26 Parkinson’s disease cases in one small county in rural Mississippi.
Dr. Beck and others used a more sophisticated model, using data from five separate cohort studies. They estimated the total number of patients living with Parkinson’s disease in the United States to be 930,000, which is far higher than the 650,000 the old model predicted.
Researchers then moved on to the current project, developing a new method to estimate Parkinson’s disease incidence.
The project included 2012 data on more than 15 million individuals in the United States and Canada. The investigators drew from three large insurance databases (Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Ontario Health Care, and Medicare) and two long-term epidemiologic studies (the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study and the Rochester Epidemiology Project).
On the basis of their analysis, the investigators proposed a working Parkinson’s disease incident rate estimate of 47-77 cases per 100,000 people aged 45 years or older. Limiting the analysis to those aged 65 or older raised the incidence to 108-212 per 100,000 people.
That translates to 60,000-95,000 new cases each year among adults aged 45 years or older. Using the Medicare administrative database alone for this same time period suggests an annual incidence of nearly 90,000 for individuals aged 65 or older.
“The numbers we’re proposing are conservative,” Dr. Beck said. “The true numbers are probably north of 90,000.”
Incidence rates increased with age and were higher in men. The researchers also identified clusters of counties with higher incidence rates in parts of the country called the “Parkinson’s belt.”
That geographic area mirrors the Rust Belt and includes parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States with a long history of industrial manufacturing that used heavy metals and industrial solvents, which are environmental factors linked to risk for Parkinson’s disease.
Cases were also higher in southern California, southeastern Texas, and Florida – agricultural regions with high pesticide use, which is also a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. Central Pennsylvania also had higher incidence rates.
Why the increase?
The increase in cases could be the result of the more comprehensive estimation model used, the researchers noted. Or it could be improved detection, the aging population, a rise in sedentary lifestyles, increased exposure to environmental risk factors, or even the sharp decline in smoking in the United States, as some studies have shown that smokers have a lower Parkinson’s disease risk.
“The short answer is, we don’t know; and the long answer is, it’s all the above,” Dr. Beck said.
Although about 15% of Parkinson’s disease cases have a genetic basis, the cause is unknown in the majority of cases. In addition, diagnosis is difficult because there is no blood test or scan that detects the disease.
“Diagnosis requires a skilled clinician with real familiarity with Parkinson’s. And we have a real shortage of neurologists in this country to not only be able to diagnose but also to treat the condition,” Dr. Beck said.
That was one motivation for doing the study: to highlight what experts say is a pending clinical crisis for patients with Parkinson’s disease, he added.
The investigators also wanted to raise awareness about the scope of the disorder – not just about prevalence and incidence but also what those data mean for the health care industry, research aims, drug development and health care coverage, and policies.
In a 2020 study, the same researchers calculated a cost of $52 billion per year for medical and nonmedical costs related to Parkinson’s disease, which works out to about $26,000 per year per patient. That figure is expected to surpass $79 billion by 2030.
“This is an urgent condition for many people who live with the disease. And to the extent we can get our country to recognize that and really make the investment now, this is an area where a stitch in time saves nine,” Dr. Beck said.
“If we can invest some money now, we have a chance to really make a difference in the future,” he added.
‘Groundbreaking’ findings
Commenting on the findings, Jori Fleisher, MD, MSCE, associate professor of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, called the results “groundbreaking” and said that they validate what clinicians have been seeing in real-world practice.
“The findings reflect what a lot of us in practice have been appreciating anecdotally, which is that it seems that Parkinson’s is being diagnosed more frequently and that the incidence has been rising,” said Dr. Fleisher, who was not involved with the study.
She noted that the use of multiple datasets is one element of the methodology that makes the data so significant.
“There has been great work out of individual centers; but no matter how good your study methods are within that one population, you’re drawing conclusions based on that one population,” Dr. Fleisher said.
This research, together with the previous work by the group on prevalence data, could go a long way toward raising awareness about the scope of Parkinson’s disease in the United States – which could lead to earlier diagnosis, more research funding, and increased attention on the need for more clinicians who specialize in movement disorders, she added.
“This should increase research funding across the spectrum, including everything from the basic science to translational research, clinical research and implementation, and health services research,” Dr. Fleisher said.
The study was supported by the Parkinson’s Foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Dr. Beck and Dr. Fleisher reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
according to new research that investigators say highlights the growing strain on clinical services and the need for more research funding.
In an analysis of five databases and more than 15 million people, about 60,000-90,000 individuals older than 45 years are estimated to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year – which is far more than the previous estimate of around 40,000-60,000 new cases annually.
This is the latest study to update decades-old epidemiologic data on Parkinson’s disease incidence and prevalence. Previous incidence rates came from small, single-population studies that are now more than 25 years old.
“In the advocacy community, we’ve been earnest about the impact of people living with Parkinson’s disease, and what we really lacked was sufficient data to be able to demonstrate the urgency of our need,” said study coinvestigator James Beck, PhD, chief scientific officer at the Parkinson’s Foundation, New York.
“We wanted to revise these numbers, highlight that they are larger than people anticipated, and use it as a call to action to change the approach we have toward Parkinson’s,” Dr. Beck said.
The findings were published online in NPJ Parkinson’s Disease.
Updating an outdated model
The study builds on the Parkinson’s Prevalence Project, a 2018 initiative that used a new model to calculate Parkinson’s disease prevalence. Before then, federal prevalence data was based on a 40-year-old study of just 26 Parkinson’s disease cases in one small county in rural Mississippi.
Dr. Beck and others used a more sophisticated model, using data from five separate cohort studies. They estimated the total number of patients living with Parkinson’s disease in the United States to be 930,000, which is far higher than the 650,000 the old model predicted.
Researchers then moved on to the current project, developing a new method to estimate Parkinson’s disease incidence.
The project included 2012 data on more than 15 million individuals in the United States and Canada. The investigators drew from three large insurance databases (Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Ontario Health Care, and Medicare) and two long-term epidemiologic studies (the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study and the Rochester Epidemiology Project).
On the basis of their analysis, the investigators proposed a working Parkinson’s disease incident rate estimate of 47-77 cases per 100,000 people aged 45 years or older. Limiting the analysis to those aged 65 or older raised the incidence to 108-212 per 100,000 people.
That translates to 60,000-95,000 new cases each year among adults aged 45 years or older. Using the Medicare administrative database alone for this same time period suggests an annual incidence of nearly 90,000 for individuals aged 65 or older.
“The numbers we’re proposing are conservative,” Dr. Beck said. “The true numbers are probably north of 90,000.”
Incidence rates increased with age and were higher in men. The researchers also identified clusters of counties with higher incidence rates in parts of the country called the “Parkinson’s belt.”
That geographic area mirrors the Rust Belt and includes parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States with a long history of industrial manufacturing that used heavy metals and industrial solvents, which are environmental factors linked to risk for Parkinson’s disease.
Cases were also higher in southern California, southeastern Texas, and Florida – agricultural regions with high pesticide use, which is also a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. Central Pennsylvania also had higher incidence rates.
Why the increase?
The increase in cases could be the result of the more comprehensive estimation model used, the researchers noted. Or it could be improved detection, the aging population, a rise in sedentary lifestyles, increased exposure to environmental risk factors, or even the sharp decline in smoking in the United States, as some studies have shown that smokers have a lower Parkinson’s disease risk.
“The short answer is, we don’t know; and the long answer is, it’s all the above,” Dr. Beck said.
Although about 15% of Parkinson’s disease cases have a genetic basis, the cause is unknown in the majority of cases. In addition, diagnosis is difficult because there is no blood test or scan that detects the disease.
“Diagnosis requires a skilled clinician with real familiarity with Parkinson’s. And we have a real shortage of neurologists in this country to not only be able to diagnose but also to treat the condition,” Dr. Beck said.
That was one motivation for doing the study: to highlight what experts say is a pending clinical crisis for patients with Parkinson’s disease, he added.
The investigators also wanted to raise awareness about the scope of the disorder – not just about prevalence and incidence but also what those data mean for the health care industry, research aims, drug development and health care coverage, and policies.
In a 2020 study, the same researchers calculated a cost of $52 billion per year for medical and nonmedical costs related to Parkinson’s disease, which works out to about $26,000 per year per patient. That figure is expected to surpass $79 billion by 2030.
“This is an urgent condition for many people who live with the disease. And to the extent we can get our country to recognize that and really make the investment now, this is an area where a stitch in time saves nine,” Dr. Beck said.
“If we can invest some money now, we have a chance to really make a difference in the future,” he added.
‘Groundbreaking’ findings
Commenting on the findings, Jori Fleisher, MD, MSCE, associate professor of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, called the results “groundbreaking” and said that they validate what clinicians have been seeing in real-world practice.
“The findings reflect what a lot of us in practice have been appreciating anecdotally, which is that it seems that Parkinson’s is being diagnosed more frequently and that the incidence has been rising,” said Dr. Fleisher, who was not involved with the study.
She noted that the use of multiple datasets is one element of the methodology that makes the data so significant.
“There has been great work out of individual centers; but no matter how good your study methods are within that one population, you’re drawing conclusions based on that one population,” Dr. Fleisher said.
This research, together with the previous work by the group on prevalence data, could go a long way toward raising awareness about the scope of Parkinson’s disease in the United States – which could lead to earlier diagnosis, more research funding, and increased attention on the need for more clinicians who specialize in movement disorders, she added.
“This should increase research funding across the spectrum, including everything from the basic science to translational research, clinical research and implementation, and health services research,” Dr. Fleisher said.
The study was supported by the Parkinson’s Foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Dr. Beck and Dr. Fleisher reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
FROM NPJ PARKINSON’S DISEASE