US expected to have nearly 90,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease this year

The number of new diagnoses of Parkinson’s disease in the United States each year is likely 50% higher than estimated, judging from a broad analysis of insurance claims and population growth detailed in a study published Thursday ( 15) that can help increase funding and treatments for the disabling disease.

Much smaller previous studies done in the US in the mid-1980s suggested that about 60,000 people a year were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s Foundation scientific director James Beck said in an interview that the number of newly diagnosed cases was likely closer to 86,000 in 2020 and expected to approach 90,000 this year.

Parkinson’s disease—the second deadliest neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s—is crippling and incurable. Its estimated economic cost reaches $52 billion a year in the United States alone, according to a report on the study.

The researchers hope that tallying the higher numbers will help the Parkinson’s Foundation and other organizations, such as the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, secure additional funding for research and treatment.

To update the estimated number of people diagnosed with the disease, Beck’s team analyzed information from large health insurance databases and long-term health studies conducted in 2012 with more than 15 million adults in the US and Ontario, in the Canada. According to Beck, this was the most recent year that the required data was consistent across all databases.

Using computer models, the researchers readjusted the findings to reflect the most recent US population.

“These updated estimates are needed to understand disease risk, plan care, and address treatment disparities,” said Beck.

“We believe with a good deal of confidence that we now have datasets that represent a broad swath of America.”

Beck’s team said that each year Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed in between 47 and 77 of every 100,000 adults aged 45 and over and between 108 and 112 of every 100,000 adults aged 65 and older.

The higher incidence in older people is not surprising, given that age is the biggest risk factor for the disease, Beck said.

The world market for drugs for Parkinson’s disease was worth US$ 5.5 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach US$ 8.4 billion by 2030, according to QY Research, according to information from Biospace.

Manufacturers of treatments for the disease include Pfizer Inc PFE.N, Roche Holding AG ROG.S, Merck & Co MRK.N, Novartis AG NOVN.S, UCB SA UCB.BR, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd VRTX.O, H Lundbeck A/S LUN.CO, Acadia Pharmaceuticals ACAD.O, Vertical Pharma Resources Ltd and Impax Laboratories.

“As the American population is aging, many people will enter the health care system with Parkinson’s disease,” said Beck. “And there are only 700 neurologists in the country who specialize in movement disorders.”

Translated by Clara Allain