A POPULATION BASED STUDY OF YOUNG ONSET PARKINSON'S DISEASE IN SOUTH WALES.
Abstract
Although the incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD) increases with age, 1015% of patients with PD develop disease at less than 50 years of age. We are undertaking a novel nested community based study of young onset Parkinson's disease (YOPD) in South Wales. To date we have identified 46 patients with YOPD and disease onset of 55 years or younger (mean age was 43.8 years, range 2955 years, 13 patients under 40 years). The majority were male (34% female) and resident outside the city of Cardiff (59%). Most YOPD patients were diagnosed to have PD within the neurology service (83.5% neurology; 5.5% geriatrics; 5.5% GP; 5.5% general medicine). The mean on state UPDRS motor score was 16/108, and the mean MMSE was 29/30. One-third of our YOPD cases have a family history of PD (95% CI 20 to 46). Over half of the patients have motor fluctuations (54%, 95% CI 39 to 69), which is comparable with late onset disease. However, dystonia is more common occurring in 43% (95% CI 29 to 59) at some point (including at disease onset and during exercise) compared with previous reports of between 010% in the late onset group. Our preliminary data confirms differences between YOPD and late onset Parkinson's disease (LOPD).
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