Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease that affects around 400,000 people in Germany. It is accompanied by symptoms such as tremors or speech disorders and is currently incurable. Find out what impact Parkinson’s disease has on the life expectancy of sufferers.
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What is Parkinson’s?
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease in which the dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain’s substantia nigra die off. The exact causes of this are still unclear and there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s. Fortunately, however, the treatment methods are getting better and better and can significantly improve the quality of life of those affected. Nevertheless, patients suffer from increasing symptoms and concomitant diseases such as dementia, especially in old age. Find out below how Parkinson’s can affect life expectancy and quality of life.
Parkinson’s: That’s how long life expectancy is
With the help of modern drug and non-drug forms of therapy, the consequences and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be well contained, especially in the early stages. However, the underlying disease cannot yet be cured and as the disease progresses – around 15 to 20 years after the initial diagnosis – more and more symptoms often appear. These include limitations in mobility and coordination as well as swallowing difficulties or speech disorders. Parkinson’s disease does not directly threaten the lives of patients. However, the worsening of symptoms with age increases the risk of death. Swallowing disorders can, for example, cause pneumoniaencourage saliva and food to reach the lungs more easily. The risk of falling is also increased due to the limited motor coordination ability. This can significantly reduce life expectancy in late-stage, severe Parkinson’s disease.
In the large-scale Global Burden of Disease Study from 2016 , the researchers showed that more than 200,000 deaths worldwide can be attributed to Parkinson’s every year. In addition, those affected lose more than 3 million symptom-free years with a high quality of life to the disease every year. For Parkinson’s patients in later stages, there is an approximately 2.5-fold increased risk of death . Consistent therapeutic measures, as much exercise as possible and a healthy lifestyle can increase the quality of life and duration in many cases. In principle, people with a mild course of the disease and a well-controlled disease have the same life expectancy as the rest of the population.
