Parkinson's will affect 25 million people worldwide by 2050

BarcelonaIn 2050 there will be 25.2 million people with Parkinson's worldwide and the main cause will be the aging of the population. This is the conclusion of a study by German researchers published this Thursday in the journal The BMJ, which warns that cases will grow by 112% compared to 2021. This neurodegenerative disease seriously affects people's quality of life, for now it does not provide care and current treatments focus on mitigating symptoms. This is the first study to provide comprehensive projections of the global, regional and national prevalence of Parkinson's disease through 2050.

According to the authors, the findings "could serve to promote health research, assist in policy making and allocate more resources." The researchers expect the highest number of cases within 25 years to occur in East Asia (10.9 million affected), followed by South Asia (6.8 million), with fewer cases in Oceania and Australasia. However, the sharpest increase is expected to occur in western sub-Saharan Africa (292%), while the smallest increases (28%) will be in Central and Eastern Europe, as there is negative population growth and a smaller contribution from population ageing.

The study is based on data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, a recognized source in the field of epidemiological research and "widely supported by the scientific community," explains José A. Morales-García, a researcher at the Complutense University of Madrid who has not participated in the Complutense University of Madrid, in statements to Science Media Centro (SMC). According to the expert, it is "key" that these scientists have managed to estimate the incidence of the disease, since health systems around the world will be able to anticipate the challenges that will arise from the growth in the number of cases.

New therapies are needed

However, the authors acknowledge certain limitations in the study such as the low availability and quality of data from some more rural regions, the lack of data on risk factors other than demographics, and the inability to accurately predict the prevalence of the disease in various ethnic groups. "There is an urgent need for future research to focus on the development of new drugs and therapies that aim to modify the course of the disease and improve the quality of life of patients," they conclude.