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Mortality of Parkinson’s disease in Italy from 1980 to 2015

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Abstract

Objective

To evaluate mortality for Parkinson’s disease (PD) in Italy during a long time period (1980–2015) and to discuss the role of possible general and specific influencing factors.

Methods

Based on mortality data provided by the Italian National Institute of Statistics, sex- and age-specific crude mortality rates were computed, for the whole country and for its main geographical sub-areas. Rates were standardized using both direct (annual mortality rates AMRs) and indirect (standardized mortality rates SMRs) methods. SMRs were used to evaluate geographical differences, whereas AMRs and joinpoint linear regression analysis to study mortality trends.

Results

Considering the entire period, highest mortality rates were observed in males (AMR/100,000: 9.0 in males, 5.25 in females), in North-West and Central Italy (SMR > 100). Overall PD mortality decreased from mid-eighties onwards and then rapidly reversed the trend in the period 1998–2002, rising up to a maximum in 2015, with some differences according to sex and geographical areas.

Conclusions

Several factors may have contributed to the rapid inversion of decreasing trend in mortality observed in the last part of XX century. Possible explanations of this rising trend are related to the increasing burden of PD (especially in males and in certain Italian regions), caused by different factors as population aging, physiological prevalence rise due to incidence exceeding mortality, and growing exposure to environmental or occupational risk factors. In addition, the accuracy of death certificate compilation could account for geographical differences and for the temporal trend. The role of levodopa and recently introduced dopaminergic drugs is also discussed.

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Data availability

Data presented here are available upon request to the corresponding author.

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Author notes

  1. Monica Ulivelli and Daiana Bezzini contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, Unit of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Policlinico Le Scotte, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Monica Ulivelli, Ilaria Grazi & Simone Rossi

  2. Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Daiana Bezzini & Mario Alberto Battaglia

  3. Postgradual School of Public Health, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Lucia Kundisova & Nicola Nante

  4. Research Department, Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Genoa, Italy

    Mario Alberto Battaglia

  5. Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Nicola Nante

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  1. Monica Ulivelli
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Correspondence to Daiana Bezzini.

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Ulivelli, M., Bezzini, D., Kundisova, L. et al. Mortality of Parkinson’s disease in Italy from 1980 to 2015. Neurol Sci 43, 3603–3611 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-021-05854-3

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