Epidemiological studies of parkinsonism in Sofia.

The epidemiology of parkinsonism was systematically studied in details in Sofia, a city of 1,167,295 inhabitants. The critical date of the study was the 31st of December, 1983. During the period of 10 years from 1972 to 1982 the morbidity of parkinsonism was 165.85/100,000 inhabitants, with a slight excess of men over women (52.1:47.9%); the average age was 60 years. A vascular etiology of parkinsonism was considered in 44%, followed by degenerative (32.55%), postencephalitic (19%), traumatic (2.4%), and toxic etiology (1.7%). The mixed clinical form of the syndrome was met most frequently (46.6%), followed by predominantly the tremor form (35.45%), predominantly the rigid form (16.8%) and the bradykinetic form (1.15%). There was a greater prevalence of the mild degree of severity of the disease (62.3%), followed by the marked degree (20.9%) and the moderate degree (16.8%). Parkinsonian patients in Bulgaria without exception receive medication and all other kinds of treatment free of charge.