Mortality Rates in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Decade Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Database by World Health Organization Region

Introduction: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the fastest growing neurological disorder across the globe. Although preceding studies in the literature shed light onto the increasing prevalence of this disease on a global scale, there is no up-to-date analysis of the mortality rates (MR) of PD globally. We provide a decade analysis of the overall MR for patients suffering from PD based on World Health Organization (WHO) region over the past decade. Findings of this analysis can allow for better patient-specific care based on trends in specific regions and ensure adequate neurosurgical care is delivered.

Methods: Global Burden of Disease Database was queried in October 2024 to gather PD related deaths divided per each WHO region from 2011-2021. All individuals, regardless of sex, were included within this analysis to determine the overall rate of occurrence. Data was age-standardized to account for age structure. Following regions, as determined by WHO criteria, were included in this analysis: African Region, Eastern Mediterranean Region, European Region, Region of the Americas, South-East Asia Region, and Western Pacific Region.

Results: Of the 6 included WHO regions in this analysis, the Eastern Mediterranean Region had the greatest MR in 2011 (5.48) and 2021 (5.38). The lowest MR in 2011 was noted to be in the South-East Asia Region (4.49), and the lowest MR in 2021 was found to be in the Western Pacific Region (4.66). The greatest percent change from 2011 to 2021 occurred in the Western Pacific Region (-5.83%), with the lowest percent difference being in the African Region (-0.82%). All regions were noted to have an overall decrease in MR from 2011-2021 except the Region of the Americas and South-East Asia Region.

Conclusion : The findings of this study display an overall positive trend towards improvement in mortality rates for PD patients. Further investigation and analysis is warranted to better understand the measures at play within specific WHO regions that have led to these improvements. Findings present in this analysis are of value to neurosurgeons globally caring for PD patients.