Prevalence and incidence of Parkinson's disease in The Faroe Islands.
OBJECTIVE
A study in The Faroe Islands in 1995 suggested a high prevalence of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) and total parkinsonism of 187.6 and 233.4 per 100,000 inhabitants respectively.


METHODS
Detailed case-finding methods 10 years later were used and a neurologist has verified the diagnosis.


RESULTS
The crude prevalence of IPD and total parkinsonism was 206.7 per 100,000 and 227.4 per 100,000 respectively. The age-adjusted prevalence is twice as high as data from Norway and Denmark. Age at initiation of treatment and the fatality rate did not explain the increased prevalence. During 1995-2005, the average annual incidence was 21.1 per 100,000 persons for Parkinson's disease, and 22.9 per 100,000 persons, if including atypical parkinsonism.


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence was verified and linked to a high incidence. The cause of the high prevalence is unknown, but neurotoxic contaminants in traditional food may play a role in the pathogenesis in this population, perhaps jointly with genetic predisposition.
Wermuth
L
L
Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark. l_wermuth@dadlnet.dk
Bech
S
S
Petersen
M Skaalum
MS
Joensen
P
P
Weihe
P
P
Grandjean
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004777:Environment; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D015995:Prevalence