Parkinson's Disease and Gender Differences

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neuro-degenerative disorder, second only to Alzheimer’s disease. According to western literature it affects 0.3% of the population. 1 The prevalence of PD in India shows marked topographic variation, ranging from 14.1 per 1,00,000 in rural Kashmir 2 to 328.3 per 1,00,000 in Mumbai. 3 Epidemiological data from Europe, Asia, and North America have shown that PD is more common in men. 4–7 PD has slight preponderance in males in China, 8 however in Japan; the disease is more common in females. 9 In India, the data shows slightly higher prevalence in males from Kolkata 10 and higher prevalence in females. 11 In a large meta-analysis, it was suggested that the prevalence in men is two times higher as compared to women. 12 There has been evidence from the animal models, clinical studies, and trials regarding the role of male and female sex hormones on the various aspects of dopaminergic pathways and PD. This chapter reviews the current evidence, highlighting the gender differences on clinical features of PD and laboratory evidence in animal models’ of PD.