Incidence of Parkinson's disease in Bulgaria.

The incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD) was studied over a 3-year period (2002-2004) in the district of Plovdiv, Bulgaria with a mean population of 713,090. Of 663 possible cases, 244 patients diagnosed with PD were included in the study. The diagnosis PD was based on UK PD Society Brain Bank Criteria. The average crude incidence rate of PD was 11.44/ 100,000 person-years. After age adjustment to the general Bulgarian population, incidence was 11.65/100,000: 17.46 for men; 7.24 for women; 12.97 for the urban group and 9.55 for the rural group. Age-specific incidence was 0.67/100,000 in the age range 40-44, reached a maximum of 112.73/100,000 for males and 52.58/100,000 for females in the age range 75-79 years and declined in the elderly. The present study estimates the incidence of PD in Bulgaria, which is similar to that in other European countries. The incidence rate in the Bulgarian population is twofold higher in men compared to women and slightly higher in the urban population compared with the rural population.