Objective: To determine the prevalence and socio-demographic profile of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in a rural Tanzania and establish the disease burden to guide health policy.

Background: Globally, PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease, with increasing prevalence and disability. It affects about 1% of people over 60 years, and risk rises with aging. Environmental factors such as pesticide exposure may also contribute to PD. With aging populations and expanding pesticide use in agriculture, PD prevalence is expected to increase. However, community-based prevalence and socio-demographic data in sub-Saharan Africa remain limited.

Method: A door-to-door survey was conducted among adults aged ≥18 years in all 62 villages of Hai District, northern Tanzania [Figure1]. Two screening tools were used: a census form with five YES/NO questions to identify PD suspects, and a clinical form completed by a study doctor for positive responders, with detailed history and neurological examination. Suspected PD cases were referred to neurologists at a tertiary hospital for diagnostic confirmation.

Results: A total of 76,510 individuals were screened (35,540 males; 40,970 females), with 905 positive responders and 43 confirmed PD cases [Figure 2], including 4 previously diagnosed. Crude prevalence was 56.2/100,000 (95% CI: 40.7–75.7), higher in males (64.7/100,000) than females (48.8/100,000), though confidence intervals overlapped. Age-only and age–sex standardized prevalence were similar (41.3 vs. 40.9/100,000), indicating differences were mainly due to age structure. WHO age-standardised prevalence was 37.2/100,000 (95% CI: 26.4–50.8). PD risk increased significantly with age (χ² trend=56.32, p=0.001). Agricultural work was significantly associated with PD (OR=3.2, 95% CI: 1.4–7.7; p=0.005). Though the risk of PD was twice as high in people with low compared to high education, the association was not significant (OR=2.0, 95% CI: 0.9-4.8; p=0.101).

Conclusion: The prevalence of PD is on the rise in rural Tanzania affecting mostly persons aged ≥50 years and engaged in agriculture, highlighting the need for targeted screening among older adults in agricultural communities.

Figure 1: Hai District Map

Figure 2: Screening and Identification of PD Cases

Figure 3: Age-specific Prevaelence Rate of PD

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/prevalence-and-socio-demographic-profile-of-parkinsons-disease-in-rural-tanzania/