Authors: Omar Elmandouh, Hassan Waseem, Zain Abideen, Jamir Pitton Rissardo, Sania Aimen, Ana Leticia Fornari Caprara, Vishnu Byroju, Sudhakar Yadav Tirupathi, and Muhammad Fawad Tahir
Conference: 2025 AAN Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA
Objective
We aim to analyze Parkinson’s disease (PD) and aspiration pneumonia (AP)-related mortality in older adults (≥55) in the United States from 1999 to 2020.
Background
PD is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor dysfunction and a gradual decline of voluntary movements. Aspiration pneumonia, often resulting from dysphagia associated with PD, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals with the disease. Studying mortality trends offers a valuable understanding of the link between PD and deaths caused by AP.
Design/Methods
Death-certificated data was utilized from the CDC WONDER database to analyze the PD and AP-related mortality using the multiple-cause of death MCD-ICD codes (G20, J69.0). Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 and Annual percentage changes (APCs) along with 95% CI were calculated using the Joinpoint Regression and stratified by gender, race, census region, and place of death.
Results
From 1999 to 2020, there were 850,732 PD-related deaths 1,237,855 AP-related deaths, and 69,598 deaths related to PD and AP. The overall AAMR showed a steady decline from 5.7 in 1999 to 3.6 in 2020. Men showed a consistently higher morality than women from 1999 (AAMR men:10.7 vs women; 2.9) to 2020 (AAMR men:6.4 vs women:1.6). When stratified by race the highest AAMR was noticed in Non-Hispanic (NH) white (4.9) followed by American Indian or Alaska Native (3.8), Asian (3.5) and Hispanics (3.3). The Western region demonstrated the highest AAMR (4.9) while the highest state-level AAMR was noted in Washington (8.3). Most people with PD and AP died in a medical facility (41.4%).
Conclusions
The study shows a significant decline in PD and AP-related mortality from 1999 to 2020, with men and non-Hispanic whites having the highest rates. Most deaths occurred in medical facilities, highlighting the need for improved care for at-risk populations.
Citations
Elmandouh O, Waseem H, Abideen Z, Rissardo JP, Aimen S, Caprara AL, Byroju V, Tirupathi SY, Tahir MF. Temporal Trends in Parkinson’s Disease and Aspiration Pneumonia-related Mortality in Older Adults in the United States (1999–2020): A 21-year Retrospective Analysis (P4-5.016). Neurology 2025;104(7_Supplement_1): 5938. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000212688
Figure. Temporal trends in age-adjusted mortality rates related to Parkinson’s disease and aspiration pneumonia among older adults in the United States from 1999 to 2020. The blue line represents mortality rates in females, the orange line in males, and the green line reflects the overall population.