Parkinson’s disease cost Europe €22.8bn in 2019, equivalent to €28.8bn at 2025 prices, a study has estimated.
Researchers warned that health and social care systems were likely to face increasing pressure as the number of people living with the condition grows.
Around 2.2m adults were estimated to be living with Parkinson’s across 47 European countries in 2019. The condition generated €17.3bn in direct costs, €4.4bn in unpaid informal care and €1bn in lost productivity.
Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disorder. Its prevalence in Europe has nearly doubled since 1990, rising from 135 to 247 cases per 100,000 people.
The study said the increase had been driven by an ageing population, improved recognition of the disease and advances in diagnosis.
Direct medical and non-medical costs, including hospital care, medication, social care and home adaptations, accounted for 76 per cent of the total economic burden.
Informal care provided by family members, friends and other unpaid carers accounted for 19 per cent.
Günther Deuschl, senior professor and founding president of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), said: “Studies in different countries have already shown that Parkinson’s disease is costly, but this study has provided a detailed account of the disease burden in Europe by modelling the costs for every European country based on all available evidence.”
The research forms part of the Cost of Illness in Neurology in Europe initiative, led by the EAN.
Researchers combined prevalence estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study with cost data identified through a systematic review of published European cost-of-illness studies.
Germany recorded the highest national costs at €5.7bn, followed by France at €5.3bn, Italy at €2.6bn, Spain at €1.9bn and the UK at €1.6bn.
Together, the five countries accounted for around 75 per cent of the total economic burden across Europe.
Professor Richard Dodel, from the University Duisburg-Essen, said: “These figures reflect not only the number of people living with Parkinson’s disease, but also the quality and cost of the care they receive.”
“The concentration of costs in these five countries is likely due to a combination of their large populations, higher age-related prevalence of Parkinson’s disease, higher healthcare costs in wealthier countries and the greater availability of data, rather than any single factor.”
Researchers also identified gaps in the available evidence. Of 14 eligible cost studies included in the analysis, 13 came from high-income countries.
No eligible primary cost data were available from lower-middle-income countries, meaning the economic burden could not be estimated for those nations.
As a result, the €22.8bn estimate covered 43 of the 47 countries assessed for Parkinson’s prevalence.
The authors called for more standardised methods of measuring Parkinson’s disease costs to produce more consistent and comparable evidence for healthcare planning and policy decisions.
Deuschl said: “These findings provide policymakers, healthcare planners and the neurological community with important evidence to better understand the growing burden of Parkinson’s disease and to plan for future care needs.”
“The EAN will continue to monitor the burden and costs of neurological diseases as part of our mission to improve the lives of people living with neurological conditions.”
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