The Value of Early Diagnosis and Treatment in Parkinson's Disease


March 2016

The Value of Early Diagnosis and Treatment in Parkinson’s Disease

A literature review of the potential clinical and socioeconomic impact of targeting unmet needs in Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting approximately 7 million people globally with devastating socioeconomic effects on individuals, their families and society. Total European costs of PD in 2010 alone accounted for €13.9 billion. Worryingly the global prevalence of PD is increasing over time and it is expected to double within the next 20 years (up to 2% in people over the age of 60 and 6% in people over 80 years). Targeting unmet needs in the management of PD is crucial for addressing the growing socioeconomic burden of the disease and to ensure sustainability in the treatment of this chronic condition.

The objective of this report is to summarise the key evidence available from the literature on the potential clinical and socioeconomic impact of targeting unmet needs in PD.