Epidemiology and neuropsychiatric manifestations of Young Onset Parkinson's Disease in the United States

Background To determine the demographic distribution of Young Onset Parkinson's Disease (YOPD) in the United States and to quantify the burden of neuropsychiatric disease manifestations. Methods Cross sectional study of 3,459,986 disabled Americans, aged 30–54, who were receiving Medicare benefits in the year 2005. We calculated race and sex distributions of YOPD and used logistic regression to compare the likelihood of common and uncommon psychiatric disorders between beneficiaries with YOPD and the general disability beneficiary population, adjusting for race, age, and sex. Results We identified 14,354 Medicare beneficiaries with YOPD (prevalence = 414.9 per 100,000 disabled Americans). White men comprised the majority of cases (48.9%), followed by White women (34.7%), Black men (6.8%), Black women (5.0%), Hispanic men (2.4%), and Hispanic women (1.2%). Asian men (0.6%) and Asian women (0.4%) were the least common race–sex pairs with a YOPD diagnosis in this population (chi square, p < 0.001). Compared to the general population of medically disabled Americans, those with YOPD were more likely to receive medical care for depression (OR: 1.89, 1.83–1.95), dementia (OR: 7.73, 7.38–8.09), substance abuse/dependence (OR: 3.00, 2.99–3.01), and were more likely to be hospitalized for psychosis (OR: 3.36, 3.19–3.53), personality/impulse control disorders (OR: 4.56, 3.28–6.34), and psychosocial dysfunction (OR: 3.85, 2.89–5.14). Conclusions Young Onset Parkinson's Disease is most common among white males in our study population. Psychiatric illness, addiction, and cognitive impairment are more common in YOPD than in the general population of disabled Medicare beneficiaries. These may be key disabling factors in YOPD.