Rates of Parkinsonism and Parkinson’s Disease in a General Population: The Rotterdam Study

After a mean follow-up of 5.8 years, 132 subjects were identified with incident parkinsonism, of whom 67 (51%) had Parkinson disease (PD).

• The incidence of PD increased with age, from 0.3 per 1000 person-years in individuals aged 55 to 65 years to 4.4 per 1000 person-years in those aged 85 and older.
• The overall age-adjusted incidence rate of any parkinsonism was similar between men and women.
• Men may have a higher risk for PD, indicated by a male-to-female ratio of 1.54.
• The observed incidence rates for parkinsonism and PD were higher than those from most previous studies.
• Intensive case-finding methods, including in-person screening, may have contributed to the increased detection of cases.

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