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JOURNAL OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Daphne Watrin
IOS Press
Tel: +31 20 688 3355
Fax: +31 20 687 0019
E-mail: [email protected]
www.journalofparkinsonsdisease.com
New Method for Measuring
Parkinson's Disease Prevalence Reveals Sharp Increase in Israel
Published in Inaugural Issue of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease
Amsterdam, NL, 9 June 2011 – In a new study published today in the inaugural issue of the Journal of
Parkinson’s Disease, Israeli researchers report that by tracking pharmacy purchases of anti-Parkinson
drugs they could estimate the number of Parkinson’s disease (PD) cases in a large population. The
study identified a sharp rise in PD prevalence from 170/100,000 in 2000 to 256/100,000 in 2007 in
Israel, which warrants further investigation.
Surprisingly, much of the world lacks accurate figures for the percentage of the population
(prevalence) with PD and the rate of occurrence of new cases (incidence). Reliable estimates using
“epidemiological” population studies are essential to identify risk factors for developing the disease,
and thereby reduce risk. They are also essential for planning how many patients with the disease may
need treatment by health services.
"Our proposed algorithm may be used as a reliable and low-cost tool to establish PD cohorts for
epidemiological studies,” commented lead investigator Nir Giladi, MD, Chairman, Department of
Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, and Associate Professor, Sackler School of Medicine,
Tel Aviv University. “Our findings of prevalence and incidence are higher than expected, and a rising
number of PD patients in Israel reflect the growing burden of PD morbidity on Israeli health and social
systems, and should be the base for national resource planning for the future."
The refined drug-driven algorithm used assessed PD patients at three certainty levels – definite,
probable, and possible – based on the fact that PD therapy is chronic and generally involves an
increasing number of drug-types and dosages as the disease progresses. Thus, those levels of
accuracy were assigned based on specific combinations of categories of four factors: (a) PD drug
types used; (b) age at first PD drug purchase (c) follow-up period; and (d) PD drug purchase intensity
– number and continuity of purchases.
Using the pharmacy records of over 1.8 million people who were members of the Maccabi Healthcare
Service (MHS) in Israel (about 25% of the total population), researchers found 499,629 PD drug
prescriptions were dispensed to 18,546 MHS members between January 1, 1998 and December 31,
2008. The algorithm identified 7,134 PD cases overall and 5,288 new cases within this timeframe.
Annual prevalence rates increased from 170/100,000 in 2000 to 256/100,000 in 2007, or 6% per year.
The article is “Use of a refined drug tracer algorithm to estimate prevalence and incidence of
Parkinson’s disease in a large Israeli population,” by Orly Chillag-Talmor, Nir Giladi, Shai Linn, Tanya
Gurevich, Baruch El-Ad, Barbara Silverman, Nurit Friedman, and Chava Peretz. Journal of
Parkinson’s Disease 1(1). 10.3233/JPD-2011-11024. Published by IOS Press.
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
Full text of the article is available at
http://iospress.metapress.com/content/xg71775r00xn126l/fulltext.pdf or contact Daphne Watrin, IOS
Press, Tel: +31 20 688 3355, [email protected]. To interview the authors contact Professor Nir
Giladi at [email protected]. The entire inaugural issue may be accessed via
http://iospress.metapress.com/content/n5063w820443.
ABOUT THE JOURNAL OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE (JPD)
Launched in June 2011 the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease is dedicated to providing an open forum
for original research in basic science, translational research and clinical medicine that will expedite
our fundamental understanding and improve treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The journal is
international and multidisciplinary and aims to promote progress in the epidemiology, etiology,
genetics, molecular correlates, pathogenesis, pharmacology, psychology, diagnosis and treatment of
Parkinson’s disease. It publishes research reports, reviews, short communications, and letters-to-theeditor and offers very rapid publication and an affordable open access option.
www.journalofparkinsonsdisease.com
ABOUT IOS PRESS
Commencing its publishing activities in 1987, IOS Press (www.iospress.nl) serves the information
needs of scientific and medical communities worldwide. IOS Press now (co-)publishes over 100
international journals and about 130 book titles each year on subjects ranging from computer
sciences and mathematics to medicine and the natural sciences.
IOS Press continues its rapid growth, embracing new technologies for the timely dissemination of
information. All journals are available electronically and an e-book platform was launched in 2005.
Headquartered in Amsterdam with satellite offices in the USA, Germany, India and China, IOS Press
has established several strategic co-publishing initiatives. Notable acquisitions included Delft
University Press in 2005 and Millpress Science Publishers in 2008.