Parkinson's Foundation
April is Parkinson's Awareness Month with this year's theme being #KeyToPD. Every April, the Parkinson's Foundation engages the Parkinson's community to raise awareness about both Parkinson's and the Foundation.
In honor of Parkinson's Awareness Month, here are a few quick stats about Parkinson's disease (PD):
- Nearly one million will be living with PD in the U.S. by 2020, which is more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig's disease (or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).
- Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with PD each year.
- More than 10 million people worldwide are living with PD.
- Incidence of PD increases with age, but an estimated four percent of people with PD are diagnosed before age 50.
- Men are 1.5 times more likely to have PD than women.
- The combined direct and indirect cost of Parkinson’s, including treatment, social security payments and lost income, is estimated to be nearly $25 billion per year in the U.S. alone.
- Medications alone cost an average of $2,500 a year and therapeutic surgery can cost up to $100,000 per person.
(article courtesy of Parkinson's Foundation)