Parkinson's disease life expectancy

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs the patient’s motor skills, speech and other functions.

Parkinson’s disease is classified as a movement disorder, and as dopamine-producing nerve cells in a part of the brain become increasingly damaged, patients living with Parkinson's disease develop many unpleasant symptoms like tremor, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia (a slowness physical movements), and problems with posture and gait.

In healthy people, dopamine is produced in the dopaminergic neurons of the brain. In patients with Parkinson's, the reduction in the formation of dopamine leads to decreased stimulation of the motor cortex by the basal ganglia, which causes these primary symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Life Expectancy of Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Because Parkinson's is a progressive condition, people living with Parkinson’s disease can indeed expect their quality of life to be impacted by the condition, and their symptoms will get worse while their ability to live without support will decrease over time. However, research points to the fact that Parkinson's disease does not drastically shorten a patient's life expectancy. If it does, it is by a relatively short one or two years.

In most cases, this reduction in life expectancy is not caused by the condition itself but rather by secondary complications that result from it.

Scientific studies conducted on patients with Parkinson’s disease show that the survival rate of patients 10 years after their diagnosis is the same as in any healthy individual. Studies also reveal that, even if a patient is elderly and has been living with Parkinson’s disease for 15 or even 20 years, the life expectancy lowers only to some extent.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with an average onset of approximately 60?years, but some patients have a much earlier onset. PD is associated with increased mortality compared with the general population, with an ongoing debate on the influence of dopaminergic treatment on mortality rates.

Although some papers reported survival time, comparison of mortality rates between patients with PD and the general population is usually presented using the standardised mortality ratio (SMR). The SMR allows for comparison between population groups with different demographics and life expectancies. This ratio is however of limited value in advising patients and their families on their prognosis. In addition, limited information is available on the comparative general survival and life expectancy in young versus older onset PD.

Two UK studies and four from Western Europe were used to estimate life expectancy (LE) and anticipated age at the time of death (AAD) for patients with PD from SMRs.
The mean LEs of patients with PD compared with the general population were: 38 (SD 5)?years for onset between 25 and 39?years compared with 49 (SD 5)?years; 21 (SD 5)?years for onset between 40 and 64?years compared with 31 (SD 7)?years; and 5 (SD 4)?years for onset age ?65?years compared with 9 (SD 5)?years.
The average AAD of patients with PD with onset between 25 and 39 years was 71 (SD 3)?years and considerably lower than that of the general population (82 (SD 2)?years).
The difference between average AAD for older individuals with PD (onset ?65?years) and the general population was smaller, with an AAD of approximately 88 (SD 7)?years compared with 91 (SD 5)?years.

✓ Fact confirmed: Estimated life expectancy of Parkinson's patients compared with the UK population Lianna S. Ishihara, Anne Cheesbrough, Carol Brayne, and Anette Schrag; 2007 Dec

The main problem with the prolonged course of illness is that the patient’s body starts to degenerate. This may result in a decrease in the life expectancy of the patients. Usually, health problems that are not directly connected to Parkinson’s disease contribute to the higher mortality rate in patients. Another interesting scientific finding is that life expectancy in female Parkinson's disease patients is somewhat higher than that of the male patients.

Stages of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease starts with many motion-related symptoms like the loss of balance, stiff muscles, tremors, and problems with posture. In the late stages of the disease, patients may need a wheelchair for movement. Also, the late stage of Parkinson's disease is distinguished by the change in facial expressions and the difficulty to perform normal day-to-day activities. The final stage of the disease distinguishes by dementia and the inability to perform even once simple tasks related to daily living, like washing, feeding, etc.

Fatigue, a loss of smell, constipation, bladder problems, and psychological problems resulting from being forced into a more dependent lifestyle (anxiety and depression) are some of the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's

Treatment of Parkinson's Disease

At present, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but medications, surgery, and multidisciplinary treatment can bring relief from the unpleasant symptoms of the disease. Carbidopa/levodopa (a combination of medications) is one of the main treatment options when it comes to medications.

The management of Parkinson's disease mainly focuses on patients' general wellness maintenance, physiotherapy, exercise, and nutrition. Treatment of Parkinson’s disease does not aim to cure the disease but to improve patients’ quality of life. Medications used in a treatment help to maintain optimum levels of dopamine in the brain, and prevent complications in motor controls.