Prevalence of Parkinson's disease in Northern Jordan

The prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) in Jordan is not known. This study describes the prevalence and clinical characteristics of PD in Northern Jordan.

Patients with the diagnosis of PD seen at neurology clinics in three major hospitals in Northern Jordan during the period of March 2007 to April 2008 were enrolled. PD diagnosis was established using predefined clinical diagnostic criteria.

A total of 102 patients were included in the analysis (64 males; 63%, 38 females 37%). The mean age (SD) of patients was 63.3 (10.1) years and the mean age for onset of symptoms (SD) was 59.5 (12.1) years. The crude prevalence rate of PD was estimated to be 59/100,000. Clinical presentations of PD at onset of disease included; rest tremor (79.2%), bradykinesia (28.7%), rigidity (6.9%), gait problem (5%), and postural instability (2%). Eleven patients (10.9%) had a family history of PD. There was no association between the age of symptom onset, the presence of tremor, bradykinesia, or rigidity at onset, with stage of PD measured by Hoehn and Yahr scale.

PD is a moderately prevalent disease in Jordan. The clinical characteristics of PD patients are similar to those reported in other countries.