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. 2019 Nov 21;19(1):320.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-019-1332-7.

Trends in the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson's disease in Korea: a nationwide, population-based study

Joo-Hyun Park  1 , Do-Hoon Kim  2 , Do-Young Kwon  3 , Moonyoung Choi  1 , Shinhye Kim  4 , Jin-Hyung Jung  5 , Kyungdo Han  5 , Yong-Gyu Park  5
Affiliations

Trends in the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson's disease in Korea: a nationwide, population-based study

Joo-Hyun Park et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: The lack of adequate and detailed epidemiological data of Parkinson's disease (PD), especially in Asia, is a barrier to future disease burdens and the prospect of effective public health plans. This study aimed to investigate temporal trends in the incidence and prevalence of PD in South Korea from 2010 to 2015, based on uniform diagnostic criteria.

Methods: This study examined all PD patients registered in a South Korean national registry database of more than 50 million individuals. We analyzed the incidence and prevalence of PD according to age, gender, and region.

Results: The annual incidence of PD was between 22.4-27.8 cases per 100,000 individuals. During the 6-year study period, there were 73,726 new PD patients, 42.3% of whom were men. The standardized incidence of PD increased over time in men but remained constant in women until 2013 but began to increase in 2014. The female-to-male ratio in the incidence of PD was 1.4:1 while the female-to-male ratio in the prevalence of PD was 1.6:1. The age- and gender-standardized prevalence of PD increased from 115.9 cases per 100,000 individuals in 2010 to 139.8 cases per 100,000 individuals in 2015. From 2014, the incidence and prevalence of PD peaked in individuals aged between 80 and 89 years in both men and women. Regional analysis also showed an increased prevalence of PD in all regions of Korea.

Conclusions: The incidence and prevalence of PD in Korea were higher in women and increased gradually from 2010 to 2015. The findings may contribute to epidemiological studies of PD in Asia, and may provide clues on risk factors for PD.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Incidence; Neurodegenerative disease; Parkinson’s disease; Prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Trends in the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in Korea, 2010–2015. a Incidence of PD, b incident cases of PD, c prevalence of PD, d prevalent cases of PD.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Incidence of Parkinson’s disease according to age and gender in Korea, 2010–2015. a Incidence in men, b incident cases in men, c incidence in women, d incident cases in women
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Prevalence of Parkinson’s disease according to age and gender in Korea, 2010–2015. a Prevalence in men, b prevalent cases in men, c prevalence in women, d prevalent cases in women
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Regional trends in age- and sex-standardized incidence and prevalence per 100,000 population from 2010 to 2015. a Incidence in 2010, b Incidence in 2015, c Prevalence in 2010, d Prevalence in 2015. (The maps depicted in Figure 4 were produced by Joo-Hyun, Park.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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