[Parkinson disease in Spain: evidence of under-diagnosis and starting points for its reduction].
BACKGROUND
Parkinson's disease (PD) has been found in all surveys focusing on frequent neurological disorders. In general, sparse geographical variation of PD prevalence was found.


OBJECTIVE
Since preliminary data suggest considerable PD underdiagnosis, 69%, 67%, 52%, 29%, we studied potential differences of PD prevalences in Spain.


METHODS
We obtained age-specific prevalences of PD from scientific media and publications from professional meetings and compared them using stratified analysis.


RESULTS
The geographical variation of prevalences at ages 60-89 years was small except among those aged 80-89, being twofold in Cantalejo, Segovia, and approximately 1/3 in Lower Aragón, Teruel. The Cantalejo (door-to-door, 67% de novo diagnoses) versus Lower Aragón (medical services) prevalence ratio was 4/1.


CONCLUSIONS
PD might be considerably underdiagnosed in Spain.
Sevillano-García
M D
MD
Departamento de Epidemiología Aplicada, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, España.
Cuadrado-Gamarra
J I
JI
de Pedro-Cuesta
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology