Category: Epidemiology
Objective: To determine whether all-cause mortality rates among persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the United States (US) differ by sex, race/ethnicity, or geographic location.
Background: PD is currently the second most common neurodegenerative disease and 14th leading cause of death in the US. Despite its prevalence, little is known about demographic or regional differences in mortality rates among persons with PD compared to the general US population.
Method: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of US Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older with PD in 2017. Persons with PD were defined as dual-eligible Medicare Part A and B beneficiaries with at least two PD-associated claims between 2015-2017, while PD decedents also had a validated death date between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Medicare Advantage beneficiaries and those with a diagnosis of secondary parkinsonism were excluded. Age-adjusted all-cause mortality rates were calculated for all persons with PD based on sex, race/ethnicity, and state. These figures were also compared to age-adjusted US mortality rates.
Results: There were 400,791 unique Medicare beneficiaries with PD aged 65 years and older in 2017 (mean age 79.1 [SD 7.68] years, 55% male, 89% White). Of these beneficiaries, 53,279 died (mean age 83.0 [SD 7.47] years, 57% male, 90% White), yielding an age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate of 13.29 deaths per 100 PD beneficiaries. All-cause mortality was greatest among Black males (15.55 deaths per 100 PD beneficiaries) and lowest among Asian females (9.36 deaths per 100 PD beneficiaries). Mortality was also lowest in Alaska (10.07 deaths per 100 PD beneficiaries) and highest in Indiana (15.99 deaths per 100 PD beneficiaries).
Conclusion: All-cause mortality rates vary substantially among persons with PD in the US, with the highest rates among Black males and persons who reside in the Midwest and South. These trends mirror those of the general US population. Further studies are needed to determine the primary causes of death among PD decedents and compare end-of-life outcomes in this cohort, which may inform policymaking at the state and national levels.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
W. Aamodt, A. Willis, J. Farrar. Demographic and Regional Variation in All-Cause Mortality Rates among United States Medicare Beneficiaries with Parkinson’s Disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2022; 37 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/demographic-and-regional-variation-in-all-cause-mortality-rates-among-united-states-medicare-beneficiaries-with-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed May 13, 2025.« Back to 2022 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/demographic-and-regional-variation-in-all-cause-mortality-rates-among-united-states-medicare-beneficiaries-with-parkinsons-disease/