PARKINSON'S DISEASE NEWS

6th May 2009 - New research

RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Movement Disorders [2009] May 1 [Epub ahead of print] (Dahodwala N, Siderowf A, Xie M, Noll E, Stern M, Mandell DS.) Complete abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of Parkinson's Disease according to race in the U.S.A.. Most prone were whites with an incidence of 45 per 100,000. Latinos were the next most prone with an incidence of 40 per 100,000. Least prone of all were African-Americans with an incidence of only 23 per 100,000. This gave African-Americans only a 43% chance of being diagnosed in comparison to whites.

Even after adjusting for all possible factors, American-Americans still had less than half the likelihood of developing Parkinson's Disease. The reason for this racial difference in Parkinson's Disease is unknown. Observed racial differences in the incidence of Parkinson's Disease are not explained at all by differences in age, sex, income, insurance or healthcare utilization. The country with the lowest prevalence of Parkinson's Disease - Ethiopia - is also African, as are other countries with a low prevalence of Parkinson's Disease. However, Latin American countries, such as Colombia and Bolivia also have a low prevalence of Parkinson's Disease. For more information go to the Prevalence of Parkinson's Disease. For more current news go to Parkinson's Disease News.

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Parkinson's Disease News details all significant new research, news reports, new books, and new resources concerning Parkinson's Disease and those medical disorders that often coincide with Parkinson's Disease : Parkinsonism, Essential Tremor, Dystonia, Restless Legs Syndrome. It is compiled from an analysis of  all newly published research, news reports, new clinical trials, all newly published books, and new web sites. A summary and analysis of the new research are provided,  as well as links to the complete abstracts and news reports.