Geographic variations in the prevalence rates of Parkinson's disease in Alberta

Parkinson's disease prevalence rates were examined for the Province of Alberta by age, sex and census division. Using the claims administrative data from the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan, a cohort of all registered individuals (2.4 million) was extracted and followed for the five year period, April 1, 1984 to March 31, 1989. No new members were added to the cohort and an attrition rate averaging 6% per year was observed. The overall crude prevalence rates of 248.9 and 239.8 per 100,000 population were noted for males and females respectively. Both sexes were found to have a statistically significant variation across Alberta's 19 census divisions. For males, examination of standardized morbidity ratios found a low risk of Parkinson's disease associated with five census divisions, of which two contained Alberta's two largest cities. An excess risk was associated with four primarily rural census divisions. Females, on the other hand, had a low risk associated with one rural census division and excess risk in four census divisions. The uneven distribution within Alberta offers support for an environmental theory of etiology which may be associated with rural living.