The Prevalence of Parkinson's Disease, Associated Dementia, and Depression in Dresden

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is frequently compounded by dementia and depression. Yet local total estimates on the prevalence of PD with dementia/depression are still lacking. These are socioeconomically important, especially for the eastern federal states in Germany due to the demographic structures. Methods: We conducted a two-staged total estimation in the area of Dresden. First, all local office-based neurologists, hospitals and retirement homes were asked to list their patients/residents with PD on a single study day. Then a random sample of patients/home residents was neuropsycholoigcally examined, including the Mini-mental-state exam and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression rating scale. Dementia was diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria. Results: Overall, 886 PD cases (95% Cl: 809 - 926) were estimated, of which 252 (95% CI:.226 - 279) suffered from dementia and 216 (95% Cl: 191 - 242) from depression. Dementia rates increased by age with 13.8% (<= 65 years) to 40.2% (>= 76 years). Depression rates ranged from 23.3% to 28.0%. Overall, 20.6% of all ambulatory treated PD patients and 85.7% of all home residents with PD had dementia. Conclusion: The prevalence of PD in Dresden dovetails with previous reported estimates. Dementia and depression are frequent complications in outpatients as well as home residents with PD.