BACKGROUND: Older people frequently have signs of parkinsonism, but information about the prevalence of parkinsonism and mortality among those with the condition in the community is limited. METHODS: A stratified random sample of 467 residents of East Boston, Massachusetts, 65 years of age or older, were given structured neurologic examinations. Using uniform, specified combinations of parkinsonian signs, we estimated the prevalence of four categories of signs--bradykinesia, gait disturbance, rigidity, and tremor--and of parkinsonism, defined as the presence of two or more categories. We did not study Parkinson's disease because it could not be distinguished from other conditions that can cause parkinsonism. Proportional-hazards models were used to compare the risk of death among people with and those without parkinsonism. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-nine persons had parkinsonism, 301 did not, and 7 could not be classified. The overall prevalence estimates were 14.9 percent for people 65 to 74 years of age, 29.5 percent for those 75 to 84, and 52.4 percent for those 85 and older. With a mean follow-up period of 9.2 years, 124 persons with parkinsonism (78 percent) and 146 persons without (49 percent) died. Adjusted for age and sex, the overall risk of death among people with parkinsonism was 2.0 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.6 to 2.6) times that among people without. Among people with parkinsonism, the presence of gait disturbance was associated with an increased risk of death. CONCLUSIONS: Parkinsonism is very common among people over the age of 65, and its prevalence increases markedly with age. Parkinsonism is associated with a twofold increase in the risk of death, which is strongly related to the presence of a gait disturbance.
BACKGROUND: Older people frequently have signs of parkinsonism, but information about the prevalence of parkinsonism and mortality among those with the condition in the community is limited. METHODS: A stratified random sample of 467 residents of East Boston, Massachusetts, 65 years of age or older, were given structured neurologic examinations. Using uniform, specified combinations of parkinsonian signs, we estimated the prevalence of four categories of signs--bradykinesia, gait disturbance, rigidity, and tremor--and of parkinsonism, defined as the presence of two or more categories. We did not study Parkinson's disease because it could not be distinguished from other conditions that can cause parkinsonism. Proportional-hazards models were used to compare the risk of death among people with and those without parkinsonism. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-nine persons had parkinsonism, 301 did not, and 7 could not be classified. The overall prevalence estimates were 14.9 percent for people 65 to 74 years of age, 29.5 percent for those 75 to 84, and 52.4 percent for those 85 and older. With a mean follow-up period of 9.2 years, 124 persons with parkinsonism (78 percent) and 146 persons without (49 percent) died. Adjusted for age and sex, the overall risk of death among people with parkinsonism was 2.0 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.6 to 2.6) times that among people without. Among people with parkinsonism, the presence of gait disturbance was associated with an increased risk of death. CONCLUSIONS:Parkinsonism is very common among people over the age of 65, and its prevalence increases markedly with age. Parkinsonism is associated with a twofold increase in the risk of death, which is strongly related to the presence of a gait disturbance.
Authors: H A Boger; P Mannangatti; D J Samuvel; A J Saylor; T S Bender; J F McGinty; A M Fortress; V Zaman; P Huang; L D Middaugh; P K Randall; L D Jayanthi; B Rohrer; K L Helke; A-C Granholm; S Ramamoorthy Journal: Genes Brain Behav Date: 2010-10-19 Impact factor: 3.449
Authors: Marta San Luciano; Richard B Lipton; Cuiling Wang; Mindy Katz; Molly E Zimmerman; Amy E Sanders; Laurie J Ozelius; Susan B Bressman; Rachel Saunders-Pullman Journal: Mov Disord Date: 2010-11-15 Impact factor: 10.338
Authors: Michael F Salvatore; Jennifer Terrebonne; Mark A Cantu; Tamara R McInnis; Katy Venable; Parker Kelley; Ella A Kasanga; Brian Latimer; Catherine L Owens; Brandon S Pruett; Yongmei Yu; Robert Luedtke; Michael J Forster; Nathalie Sumien; Donald K Ingram Journal: J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci Date: 2017-12-12 Impact factor: 6.053
Authors: Lianna S Ishihara; Anne Cheesbrough; Carol Brayne; Anette Schrag Journal: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry Date: 2007-03-30 Impact factor: 10.154
Authors: Michael D F Goldenberg; Xuemei Huang; Honglei Chen; Lan Kong; Teodor T Postolache; John W Stiller; Katherine A Ryan; Mary Pavlovich; Toni I Pollin; Alan R Shuldiner; Richard B Mailman; Braxton D Mitchell Journal: Neuroepidemiology Date: 2020-07-31 Impact factor: 3.282