In a brief introduction to its first-ever series dedicated to Parkinson’s disease, the medical journal “The Lancet” offers two startling statistics. The first: Parkinson’s prevalence “is expected to increase to 12–17 million people by 2040.” The second: “2017 data show that levodopa and carbidopa – mainstays of Parkinson’s treatment – were consistently available in primary care settings in only 37 of 110 countries.”
Most of the world’s health systems, then, aren’t ready for the rise in the condition, which will require more and more of already-strained resources and exhausted caregivers. Ethnic minority patients especially will almost certainly face even greater challenges getting care.
That’s why the understanding of Parkinson’s – and the commitment to preventing and curing the disease – is so important. The three papers in the series from “The Lancet” dig into the knowledge we have of PD, and the knowledge we don’t.
The first paper focuses on the epidemiology of PD. The authors discuss a handful of potential risk factors for the disease, including age, sex and socioeconomic status. The second paper deals with pathogenesis, or how Parkinson’s develops and progresses, singling out the genetics of the disease. And the third and final paper of the series dissects the evidence (or lack thereof) for the “medical, surgical, and physical treatments for Parkinson’s disease.”
It’s worth taking a look through these papers. You can see how far we’ve come in our awareness and grasp of the disease, and just how far still we have to go. Either way, the series should give you hope – Parkinson’s is not losing visibility, but gaining it.
You can read the full series here, although you’ll need to register for a free account with “The Lancet” if you don’t already have one.
