James Beck 00:00:00
Parkinson’s cases will surpass 1.2 million by the year 2030.
Hi, I’m Dr. James Beck, Chief Scientific Officer of the Parkinson’s Foundation. Today I’m going to talk about statistics related to Parkinson’s disease.
In the United States, nearly one million people are living with Parkinson’s disease—a number that is growing quickly due to the aging population. Every year, 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s. On a worldwide scale, we estimate that more than 10 million people are currently living with Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s is a complicated disease. There’s no one path to a Parkinson’s diagnosis. While research shows that the number of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease increases with age, an estimated 96% of people with Parkinson’s are diagnosed after age 50. When someone is diagnosed younger than 50, it is known as young-onset Parkinson’s disease. People living with young-onset Parkinson’s disease may experience the disease differently from older people with Parkinson’s. This includes a slower progression of PD symptoms and more side effects from dopaminergic medications.
James Beck 00:01:16
While everyone experiences a unique blend of Parkinson’s symptoms over time, there are patterns of Parkinson’s progression that are defined in five stages—stage one being mild symptoms, ranging all the way to stage five with more severe symptoms. Doctors commonly use medical rating scales that factor in how much the disease affects activities of daily living.
While the exact cause of Parkinson’s disease remains unknown, statistics show that men are 1.5 times more likely to have Parkinson’s disease than women. Studies are also being conducted to determine why men are more likely to develop Parkinson’s and how symptoms may differ based on a person’s sex.
Scientists believe a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors may cause Parkinson’s disease. Research has found that genetics cause about 10–15% of all Parkinson’s cases. Our PD Generation: Mapping the Future of Parkinson’s Disease study is advancing research in this area by testing for genetic mutations in several different genes linked to Parkinson’s disease.
To calculate an estimate of the prevalence of Parkinson’s throughout North America, the Parkinson’s Foundation conducted the Parkinson’s Prevalence Project. This study found several key insights regarding the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease. Data from this study suggests that Parkinson’s cases will surpass 1.2 million by the year 2030. The study also found that the prevalence of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s can depend on where they live, which has inspired new studies on this topic.
Parkinson’s disease statistics tell us that Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing neurologic disorder in the world. While this may seem daunting, the Parkinson’s Foundation is here to provide resources and support to the Parkinson’s community.
To learn more, visit Parkinson.org or reach out to our helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO.
