Parkinson's reduces life expectancy: UK study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients with Parkinson's disease have a decreased life expectancy compared with the general population, according to data from the United Kingdom. Life expectancy is most severely decreased in those who develop the disease in their 20s and 30s.

Dr. Anette Schrag from the Royal Free and University College Medical School, London and colleagues used published mortality data to calculate the "best possible" estimates for age-specific life expectancy of Parkinson's patients compared with the UK population.

They report their work in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

According to their calculations, for patients with Parkinson's disease with onset between age 25 and 39 years, estimated mean life expectancy is 38 years compared with 49 years for the general population. This corresponds to an anticipated age at the time of death of 71 for Parkinson's patients versus 82 for the general population.

For Parkinson's patients who develop the disease between 40 and 65 years of age, average life expectancy is 21 years versus 31 years for the general population, yielding an anticipated age at the time of death of 73 years and 83 year, respectively.

The average life expectancy for Parkinson's patients with onset at or above 65 years is 5 years, resulting in an anticipated age at time of death of 88 years compared with a life expectancy of 9 years in the general population and an age at death of 91 years.

Schrag and colleagues note that until now only limited information was available on the comparative general survival and life expectancy in young- versus older-onset Parkinson's disease.

They emphasize, however, that the estimates are averages, and that "survival can vary between patients as a result of other factors."

SOURCE: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, December 2007.