Understanding Parkinson's Disease

Prevalence of Parkinson's disease

How common is Parkinson's disease?

  • Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common chronic neurological disorder of the central nervous system in older adults following Alzheimer's disease. Its worldwide prevalence is estimated to be approximately 1-2% of those over 65 years1-5
  • PD can also manifest earlier in life, before 40 to 50 years, referred to as early onset PD6

View references

  1. Tandberg E et al. The occurrence of depression in Parkinson's disease. Arch Neurol 1996; 53(2): 175-179.
  2. Zhang ZX et al. Worldwide occurrence of Parkinson's disease: An updated review. Neuroepidemiology 1993; 12: 195–208.
  3. de Lau LM, Breteler MM. Epidemiology of Parkinson's disease. Lancet Neurol 2006; 5: 525-35.
  4. Nussbaum RL, Ellis CE. Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. N Engl J Med 2003; 348: 1356-64.
  5. Van Den Eeden SK et al. Incidence of Parkinson's disease: variation by age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Am J Epidemiol 2003; 157: 1015-22.
  6. Marsh L et al. Neuropsychiatric aspects of Parkinson's disease. Psychosomatics 2000; 41(1): 15-23.

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