Prevalence of Parkinson's disease in lower Aragon, Spain.
OBJECTIVE
We attempted to measure the prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) and to improve PD diagnosis in Lower Aragon (LA), a rural area located in northeast Spain with an elderly population numbering 60,724.


METHODS
Hospital records and a questionnaire targeted at general practitioners and retirement home personnel were used for case finding. Neurologic diagnoses were ascertained by a neurologist using a clinicoepidemiologic protocol and established diagnostic criteria after examining 84% of patients diagnosed with PD. Using stratified analysis, a comparison was run against reported PD prevalence from worldwide door-to-door surveys.


RESULTS
On the prevalence date, 134 individuals were found to be affected with PD. The prevalence per 100,000 population was 220.6 (crude) and 121.9 when age-adjusted using the European Standard Population. Prevalence increased with age, declining at 90 years and over. Questionnaires returned by general practitioners disclosed 20% of the prevalent PD cases. The prevalence of PD in pooled European populations was 2.56 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.02-3.24) greater than that found in our study.


CONCLUSIONS
PD prevalence in Lower Aragon ranks at levels similar to those reported for white populations (European and non-European). One out of two individuals with PD was estimated to be undiagnosed before and three out of eight after the study.
Errea
J M
JM
Department of Neurology, Hospital del Insalud de Barbastro, Huesca, Spain.
Ara
J R
JR
Aibar
C
C
de Pedro-Cuesta
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010302:Parkinson Disease, Secondary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014202:Tremor / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology