The prevalence of Parkinson's disease and its cost to the French national health fund in metropolitan France in 2000

Aims: To determine the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in metropolitan France in 2000 and to describe the characteristics of the patient population involved, the care they received and to assess the total cost for the national health fund. Method: We performed a cross-sectional study using the health fund’s reimbursement database for the year 2000. The study population included all beneficiaries affiliated with the health fund’s general scheme stricto sensu or 41.5 million individuals. We enrolled each patient who received at least once prescription for medications specifically used in Parkinson’s disease during the last quarter of 2000. We excluded patients who were younger than 40 years old, women who were younger than 50 years old and who were only taking bromocriptine as well as all patients who were concomitantly treated with neuroleptic drugs. Results: The prevalence of treated Parkinson’s disease was 241 patients per 100,000 population or approximately 143,000 patients in all of the health fund’s schemes. The highest rate was observed in the 80-84 year age group: 2,355 patients per 100,000 population. The highest prevalence was found in the Rh ne corridor. The average annual cost for overall patient care was 5,827 euros in 2000 (520 million euros just for the general scheme). The average annual cost per patient for nursing care varied according to the different regions in France and was between 270 euros and 1,500 euros or more (PACA, Languedoc-Roussillon, Corsica); the cost was correlated with the concentration of private practice nurses in the region. Conclusion: This study enabled us to follow the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease and its cost to the national health fund. Geographic differences in costs for treating a homogeneous patient-group need to be considered for cost-containment.