Global, regional and national burden of Parkinson's disease, 1990-2021: Update from the GBD 2021 study

Parkinson's disease (PD) poses an escalating global health burden. This study evaluates PD burden, key drivers, and health system implications.

Using Global Burden of Disease 2021 data, we analyzed incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALYs and their age-standardized rates (ASRs) for PD across 204 countries from 1990 to 2021, examining spatial and demographic patterns. Decomposition analysis identified burden drivers, and relationship between socio-demographic index (SDI) and health workforce density with DALYs were assessed.

In 2021, PD caused 1.335 million (95 % UI: 1.200 to 1.490) incident cases, 11.767 million (95 % UI: 10.400 to 13.400) prevalent cases, 0.388 million (95 %UI: 0.347 to 0.417 million) deaths, and 7.472 million (95 %UI: 6.740 to 8.140 million) DALYs globally. ASR for all indicators increased significantly since 1990, with the Average Annual Percent Changes exceeding 0 for each (P > 0.01). Burden heterogeneity was marked, with the highest in East Asia. Males bear a higher overall burden, though females exceeded them above age 90. Population growth and aging were primary drivers. DALYs correlated non-linearly with SDI, and weakly with health workforce density (|r| < 0.20).

From 1990 to 2021, the burden of PD intensified globally, with notable spatial and demographic disparities, primarily driven by population growth and aging. The current alignment between healthcare workforce allocation and disease burden is weak, indicating that the health system requires targeted reinforcement of its response capabilities.