The Burden of Parkinson's Disease Based on the GBD 2021.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Ecological and epidemiological modeling analysis using Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 data (graded by design analogy).
PubMed 41815271 · doi:10.3389/ijph.2026.1608863
What was done
Data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 were analyzed to evaluate global temporal trends in Parkinson's disease (PD) prevalence between 1992 and 2021. The authors applied an age-period-cohort model to assess temporal trends and performed decomposition analysis to quantify the contributions of population aging, population growth, and epidemiological transitions to changes in disease burden.
What was found
From 1992 to 2021, the global number of PD cases increased from 3,471,682.09 to 11,756,618.58. The age-standardized prevalence rose from 191.38 per 100,000 to 292.93 per 100,000 population, with an overall global net drift of 1.42%. PD prevalence increased and then declined with age globally, though some regions showed continuous rises, with a marked surge in individuals aged 60 and older. Decomposition analysis showed population growth was the primary driver of the increased burden.
Why it matters
This study highlights a more than three-fold increase in absolute global Parkinson's disease cases over three decades. It provides updated epidemiological metrics to guide resource allocation and healthcare planning aligned with global health targets for neurodegenerative disorders.
Limits
The abstract presents modeled global estimates rather than primary clinical registry data, making estimates vulnerable to source data scarcity and misclassification in certain regions. Uncertainty intervals for prevalence estimates and drift values are not reported in the abstract, and specific underlying etiologic or environmental drivers of the cohort effects were not directly evaluated.
Cited by
- supports For 2021, the estimated global prevalence of Parkinson's disease was 11.8 million people.