Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and dynamics of Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonian syndromes in the population of Kazakhstan from 2015 to 2024 using data from the Unified National Electronic Health System and to compare the results with international data.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other parkinsonian syndromes (PS) are among the most common and fastest-growing neurodegenerative diseases worldwide the last 40 years [1,2,3,4]. Knowledge of their epidemiology is crucial for developing future strategies and to improve the medical care and reduce the burden of PD and PS.

Method: Official data on patients with the diagnosis G20, G21, G23 and F02.3 were obtained from the Healthcare Department authorities following an official request of Movement Disorders Society of Kazakhstan. The incidence rate per 100,000 people was calculated using official population data from publicly available statistics provided by the Bureau of National Statistics at the end of each year [5]. The analysis covered the period from 2015 to 2024.

Results: The prevalence of PD increased from 22.7 cases per 100,000 population in 2015 to 59.5 in 2024 (Fig.1). The prevalence of secondary parkinsonian syndromes (PS) decreased from 0.94 cases per 100,000 in 2015 to 0.53 in 2024. In contrast, the prevalence of atypical PS increased from 0.11 in 2015 to 0.18 cases per 100,000 in 2024. The Fig.2 also demonstrates a higher prevalence of PD and secondary PS among women, whereas atypical PS (G23) were more commonly diagnosed in men. Overall, the results indicate relatively low diagnostic rates of secondary and atypical PS, as well as dementia associated with PD (Fig.2,Fig.3).

Conclusion: The study demonstrated an increase in the number of PD cases over the past 10 years in the population of Kazakhstan, particularly among women. Our previous studies have shown a low level of awareness of PD among healthcare professionals [6,7]. This may explain the relatively low diagnostic rates of PD, PS, and PD-related dementia compared with other countries [1–3]. Further efforts are needed to improve awareness of PD and PS among healthcare professionals and the population of Kazakhstan [6,7,8].

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

References: 1. Li M, Ye X, Huang Z, Ye L, Chen C. Global burden of Parkinson’s disease from 1990 to 2021: a population-based study. BMJ Open. 2025 Apr 27;15(4):e095610. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-095610. PMID: 40288800; PMCID: PMC12035419.
2. Tysnes OB, Storstein A. Epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2017 Aug;124(8):901-905. doi: 10.1007/s00702-017-1686-y. Epub 2017 Feb 1. PMID: 28150045.
3. Pringsheim T, Jette N, Frolkis A, Steeves TD. The prevalence of Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mov Disord. 2014 Nov;29(13):1583-90. doi: 10.1002/mds.25945. Epub 2014 Jun 28. PMID: 24976103.
4. Mohamed Ibrahim N, Phuenpathom W, Jagota P, Bhidayasiri R, Pal PK, Lin CH, Kukkle PL, Hatano T, Lim SY, Myrzayev Z, Shang H, Ong JN, Rosales RL, Youn J, Aldaajani Z, Mittal SO, Nawi AM, Ugawa Y. Practices, Resources and Challenges in Parkinson’s Disease Management in Asia: Movement Disorders in Asia Study Group Report. Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2026 Feb;13(2):379-392. doi: 10.1002/mdc3.70447. Epub 2025 Nov 26. PMID: 41299861; PMCID: PMC12911452.
5. https://stat.gov.kz/ official website of Agency for Strategic planning and reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Bureau of National statistics.
6. Zh. Myrzayev, J. Sringean, R. Bhidayasiri. Movement Disorders Knowledge Among Medical Professionals in Central Asia [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2024; 39 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/movement-disorders-knowledge-among-medical-professionals-in-central-asia/. Accessed May 5, 2025.
7. Myrzayev Zh., Jagota P. et al. Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Among Medical Professionals In Kazakhstan, Abstract #111, 8th Asian and Oceanian Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Congress (AOPMC), 17-19 March 2023, Kolkota India.
8. Kaiyrzhanov R, Zharkinbekova N, Shashkin C, Khaibullin T, Kaishibayeva G, Akhmetzhanov V, Sadykova DZ, Seidinova Z, Taskinbayeva A, Karimova A, Rizig M, Houlden H. Parkinson’s Disease in Kazakhstan: Clinico-Demographic Description of a Large Cohort. J Parkinsons Dis. 2020;10(2):707-709. doi: 10.3233/JPD-191782. PMID: 32144996; PMCID: PMC7242829.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/epidemiology-of-parkinsons-disease-and-parkinsonism-in-kazakhstan-from-2015-to-2024-based-on-national-health-data/