Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most important neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly population, after Alzheimer's disease. 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 1-3, PD represents today a major age-related problem of health 4,5. Meta-analysis of the world wide data indicates a rising prevalence of PD with age (from 41 per 100,000 at 40-49 years to 1,903 per 100,000 at over age 80). PD also shows a characteristic distribution by geographic location (a prevalence of 1,601 per 100,000 in patients from North America, Europe and Australia, and a prevalence of 646 per 100,000 in Asian patients) 6. PD is more prevalent in males (1,729 per 100,000, 65 yrs) than in females (1,644 per 100,000), with a peak prevalence in the age group of 90 years (4,633 cases per 100,000), and a mean prevalence of 1,680 per 100,000 in people older than 65 years of age 7. Prevalence and incidence Male/Female ratios increase by 0.05 and 0.14, respectively, per 10 years of age. Incidence is similar in men and women under 50 years (M/F ratio 1.2), and over 1.6 times higher in men than women over 80 years 8.
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