Parkinson's in Hesse: Stadt-Land-Gefalle and new therapy hopes!

Parkinson's in Hesse: Stadt-Land-Gefalle and new therapy hopes!

In Hesse, the risk of illness on Parkinson's is heavily dependent on age and place of residence, as current AOK data shows. According to the information, older men in particular are most affected. In 2022, about 0.62 percent of the Hessian population of Parkinson's, which corresponds to a decline of 0.68 percent in 2017

The analysis shows significant differences in the distribution of Parkinson's cases between counties, sexes and age groups. A special health atlas of the AOK Hessen illustrates the strong city-country gradient: rural areas have higher Parkinson's quotas. The prevalence in the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district is 0.9 percent, 0.87 percent in the Vogelsberg district and 0.83 percent in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district. Compared to urban areas such as Frankfurt with 0.46 percent and Wiesbaden, which are closer to the national average or below

gender -specific differences and risk factors

The Parkinson's disease rate increases significantly from the age of 60. In Hesse, men (0.69 percent) develop Parkinson's more often than women (0.56 percent). These differences are due to hormonal and genetic factors. Parkinson's is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by the death of nerve cells in the brain. New biomarkers enable early detection of the disease and targeted therapies offer a view of individual and effective treatment methods.

dr. Christoph-Gérard Stein from the AOK Medical Competence Center explains that the prevalence of Parkinson's disease in Hesse is particularly high in rural areas, which can be partially explained by the aging population in these regions, as the AOK reports.

Affected and relatives can find support in self-help groups such as the German Parkinson's Association.