Disease burden of Parkinson's disease in China and its provinces from 1990 to 2021: findings from the global burden of disease study 2021.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) has become a public health concern with global ageing. However, comprehensive assessments of the temporal and geographical trend of PD disease burden in China remain insufficient. This study aimed to examine the burden of PD by age, gender, and geographical region in China during 1990-2021.

Methods: Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021, we analysed the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALY burden of PD in 33 Chinese provinces/regions. We compared the national figure with the global average and the corresponding estimates from the G20 countries. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was used to quantify the temporal trends of PD burden during 1990-2021. We further assessed the PD burden by age and gender during 1990-2021. We used a decomposition analysis to investigate the changes in the number of new cases, patients, and deaths of PD during 1990-2021.

Findings: In 2021, China recorded the highest age-standardised incidence and prevalence of PD among the G20 countries, at 24.3 per 100,000 and 245.7 per 100,000, respectively, figures that were much higher than the global average. During 1990-2021, the age-standardised incidence of PD in China increased by 89.7%, and the age-standardised prevalence by 167.8%, both marking the largest increases among the G20 countries. In contrast, the age-standardised mortality for PD has significantly decreased since 1990, whereas the age-standardised DALY rate for PD has remained relatively unchanged since 1990. The PD burden gradually increased with age, especially in the elderly population aged ≥65 years. During 1990-2021, the burden in males consistently surpassed that in females, with the gender difference widening over time. The increase in new cases and patients of PD was primarily driven by changes in age-specific rates, while the rise in PD-related deaths was largely attributable to population ageing. The disease burden of PD varied considerably across the Chinese provinces. In 2021, age-standardised incidence and prevalence of PD were generally higher in China's southeastern coastal regions than in the western regions, and age-standardised DALY rates were higher in the northern regions than in other regions.

Interpretation: The disease burden of PD in China has consistently risen over the past three decades, particularly among elderly men. The increasing causative factors and population aging highlight the need for enhancing public health intervention and resource allocation, especially in etiological research, early diagnosis, preventive strategies, and region-specific management for PD.

Funding: Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (2022YFC2304900, 2022YFC2505100); National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFC2505100, 2022YFC2505103, 2018YFC1315300); Outstanding Young Scholars Support Program (grant number: 3111500001); Epidemiology modeling and risk assessment (grant number: 20200344), and Xi'an Jiaotong University Young Scholar Support Grant (grant number: YX6J004).