Parkinson's prevalence estimated by a state registry

PubMed, PMID: 15022187 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE], Strickland D, Bertoni JM, Epidemiology Section, Department of Preventive and Societal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Daniel.Strickland@KP.org

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15022187

A solid understanding of the descriptive epidemiology of a disease is essential in etiologic investigations; this includes prevalence and incidence, as well as groups within the larger community who may have noticeably lower or higher rates. We ascertained the usefulness of a non-traditional registry in describing Parkinson's disease (PD) patterns in a community. A passive surveillance PD registry in Nebraska began data collection on 1 January 1997. All physicians were required to report PD diagnosis, pharmacists reported new prescriptions of anti-PD drugs (PD cases were confirmed later with the prescribing physician), and there was a patient self-report mechanism. The overlap of reporting by the sources allowed estimation of the number not reported by any source, using the statistical technique "capture-recapture." As of January 2000, the Nebraska PD Registry had reports of 5,062 PD patients. The number not reported by any Registry reporting source was calculated to be 117, leading to an estimated total of 5,179 cases and a prevalence of 329.3 per 100,000 population. Tabulations of age- and gender-specific prevalence rates, as well as county-level estimates, allow examination of areas of elevated or lowered prevalence. The combination of a passive surveillance system and capture-recapture technique presents a useful method for epidemiologic description, and more traditional survey methods could benefit by including capture-recapture capability. Copyright 2003 Movement Disorder Society





THE AMERICAN PREVALENCE OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

23rd January 2010 - New research, Neuroepidemiology [2010] 34 (3) : 143-151 .Annals of Neurology [2009] 66 (6) : 792-798 (Wright Willis A, Evanoff BA, Lian M, Criswell SR, Racette BA.) Complete abstract

http://www.************/parkinsons.d...ews/100123.htm Link does not work. Internet search title of this item to see it online at the website.

The prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in the U.S.A. has been found to differ enormously according to location, age and race. The prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in some counties was found to be nearly 12 times higher than in other counties. Urban areas were more affected than rural areas. Elsewhere, the opposite is usually true. Parkinson's Disease is far from being evenly spread across the U.S.A.. The study revealed a concentration of Parkinson's Disease in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the U.S.A.. Nebraska was previously shown to be the worst affected Complete abstract. In the over 65s there was found to be a prevalence in some areas of 1 in 7, making it in those places a common medical disorder. Whites were affected with Parkinson's Disease about twice as much as Blacks and Asians, though this difference is progressively decreasing, especially between Blacks and Whites. For more current news go to Parkinson's Disease News.