TITLE:
Exploring Gender-Associated Socioeconomic Differences in Parkinson’s Disease
AUTHORS:
Robert McInnis, William Cavanaugh, Janice Weinberg, Marie-Hélène Saint-Hilaire, Samuel Ellias, Samuel Frank, Anna DePold Hohler
KEYWORDS:
Parkinson’s Disease, Gender, Dementia, Social Determinants of Health
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Parkinson's Disease,
Vol.4 No.4,
November
17,
2015
ABSTRACT: Background: Research on gender in Parkinson’s disease (PD) frequently focuses on clinical differences
between men and women. Socioeconomic factors such as race, ethnicity, insurance type,
and level of educational attainment, have not been extensively examined in relation to gender differences
in PD. The goal of this study was to identify differences in PD presentation in men and
women, and identify socioeconomic factors that may confound such differences. Methods: A
movement disorder patient database containing 445 patients with idiopathic PD was analyzed for
gender differences in motor symptoms and disease complications using linear or logistic regression.
Socioeconomic variables were then evaluated as possible confounders. Results: A greater
proportion of women were non-white (p