Category: Epidemiology
Objective:
The objective of this meta-analysis was to examine the male-to-female (M/F) incidence and prevalence of Parkinson disease.
Background:
Parkinson disease (PD) is a major cause of disability affecting >6 million people worldwide. The incidence/prevalence of PD is generally higher in males than females. It is unclear whether male predominance is observed in low- and middle-income countries, where the fastest apparent rate of increase of PD has been observed.
Method: We searched MEDLINE, SCOPUS and OVID for articles published between 2014-2021 for incidence of PD, 2011-2021 for prevalence, and updated previously published systematic reviews for which the last date of inclusion had been 2014 and 2011. We included 32 articles for prevalence and 30 for incidence. We calculated male/female (M/F) prevalence and incidence ratios, and investigated heterogeneity in estimates.
Results:
The combined M/F prevalence ratio was 1.18 (95% CI 1.03-1.36) and incidence ratio was 1.37 (95% CI 1.22-1.53), lowest in Asian populations. These were not influenced by study type, national economy or mean participant age. The nation-specific female-to-male gap in life expectancy did partly account for data heterogeneity.
Conclusion:
The gender gap for prevalence of PD was smaller than has previously been reported. More studies are needed to understand the determinants of sex imbalance in PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
A. Zirra, S. Rao, J. Bestwick, R. Rajalingam, C. Marras, C. Blauwendraat, I. Mata, A. Noyce. Examining the sex differences in the prevalence and incidence of Parkinson disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2022; 37 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/examining-the-sex-differences-in-the-prevalence-and-incidence-of-parkinson-disease/. Accessed May 9, 2025.« Back to 2022 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/examining-the-sex-differences-in-the-prevalence-and-incidence-of-parkinson-disease/