How Long Can You Live with Parkinson's Disease?

Recent population-based research reveals that life expectancy for Parkinson's disease patients is reduced compared to the general population, but the impact varies significantly based on age at diagnosis, disease type, and individual health factors. While people with Parkinson's disease face a 50% relatively increased mortality risk, many patients, particularly those diagnosed at older ages, can still expect to live many years with proper medical care and support [4].

Understanding life expectancy for Parkinson's disease is crucial for patients, families, and healthcare providers as they navigate treatment decisions and plan for the future. The relationship between Parkinson's disease and survival is complex, involving multiple factors that influence disease progression and overall health outcomes.

What Does the Research Tell Us About Life Expectancy?

Large-scale population studies provide the most reliable data on survival with Parkinson's disease. A comprehensive Swedish study following 182 patients with new-onset parkinsonism found that patients with Parkinson disease had a standardized mortality ratio of 1.58, meaning they were 58% more likely to die during the study period compared to the general population [1]. However, this risk was on the lower end compared to other modern studies, possibly due to the population-based design including milder cases and access to comprehensive healthcare.

People with Parkinson's disease don't typically die directly from the condition itself. As medical experts often explain, individuals die "with" Parkinson's rather than "of" it [2]. The disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that can modestly reduce life expectancy, but many patients die from unrelated age-related conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer, or stroke.

READ: Is There a Connection Between Type 2 Diabetes and Parkinson's Disease?

How Does Age at Diagnosis Affect Survival?

Age at diagnosis significantly impacts life expectancy for Parkinson's disease patients. Dutch research involving 297 participants with parkinsonism revealed striking differences based on when the disease develops [3]. At 65 years of age, patients with parkinsonism had their life expectancy reduced by 6.7 years compared to matched controls. However, this difference in life expectancy decreased substantially with increasing age at diagnosis—at 85 years, the difference was only 1.2 years.

This pattern suggests that the most significant reduction in life expectancy for Parkinson's disease occurs when the condition is diagnosed before age 70. People with Parkinson's diagnosed in their 60s who are otherwise healthy typically live a lifespan comparable to others in their age group, while those diagnosed at very advanced ages may have largely normal life expectancy due to competing health risks [2,3].

What Factors Influence Life Expectancy in Parkinson's Disease?

Several key factors serve as predictors of reduced survival in patients with Parkinson's disease. The Swedish population study identified multiple independent risk factors that influence how long people with Parkinson's can expect to live [1]:

Age and Cognitive Function

Age and cognitive function play crucial roles in determining outcomes. Older age at baseline consistently predicts shorter survival, while patients with Parkinson disease who have mild cognitive impairment at diagnosis face a 2.4 times higher age-adjusted risk of death compared to those without cognitive issues. At a mean age of 71.2 years, estimated life expectancy was 11.6 years without cognitive impairment but only 8.2 years with mild cognitive impairment.

Motor Symptoms and Disease Severity

Motor symptoms and disease severity also impact survival rates. Higher postural imbalance and gait disorder scores, along with reduced dopamine transporter uptake in the brain, correlate with increased mortality risk. Interestingly, tremor—often the most recognizable symptom of Parkinson's disease—was not correlated with survival outcomes.

Biological Markers

Biological markers provide additional prognostic information. Patients with reduced sense of smell (hyposmia) and those with subtle inflammatory reactions in their cerebrospinal fluid showed significantly increased mortality risk, with the inflammatory marker associated with a 6.31 times increased hazard for death.

How Do Different Types of Parkinsonism Compare?

Not all forms of parkinsonism carry the same prognosis. Idiopathic Parkinson's disease represents the most common and generally milder form, while atypical parkinsonism conditions like multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy present much more aggressive disease courses [1].

Patients with atypical parkinsonism face the highest mortality rates, with a standardized mortality ratio of 3.32—more than double the risk seen in typical Parkinson's disease. For these patients, age at first visit was not a significant predictor of survival, suggesting that the severe nature of these disorders dominates other prognostic factors.

Understanding which type of Parkinson's disease a patient has is crucial for setting realistic expectations about disease progression and planning appropriate care strategies. The disease course varies dramatically between typical and atypical forms of parkinsonism.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Death?

Pneumonia emerges as the leading cause of death in people with Parkinson's disease across multiple studies [1,2,4]. This occurs primarily because Parkinson's disease can cause swallowing difficulties (dysphagia), increasing the risk of aspiring food or liquids into the lungs, leading to aspiration pneumonia.

As the disease progresses into its later stages, impaired mobility and balance significantly raise the risk of falls and accidents. These incidents can initiate a cascade of health problems, including becoming bedridden and subsequently developing pneumonia. The advanced stage of Parkinson's disease makes basic activities like walking and talking difficult and often leads to non-movement issues, including dementia, requiring patients to need assistance with daily living.

Falls and related injuries, such as hip fractures, also contribute significantly to increased mortality in patients with Parkinson's disease. The combination of motor symptoms, cognitive changes, and medication side effects creates multiple pathways through which Parkinson's may impact survival.

How Can Treatment and Care Improve Outcomes?

While there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, various treatment options can help maintain quality of life and potentially impact survival outcomes.

Surgical Interventions

Deep brain stimulation may offer survival benefits, particularly with early treatment, though existing studies face challenges with bias due to patient selection criteria [4]. This advanced treatment option represents one of the most promising approaches for patients with Parkinson's disease in later stages of the disease.

Medication Effectiveness

The effectiveness of levodopa, the primary medication for Parkinson's disease, on survival remains debated. Reviews suggest little evidence that it significantly influences survival or delays severe complications, though it remains crucial for managing symptoms and maintaining quality of life [4]. Drugs for Parkinson's disease continue to evolve as researchers work to treat Parkinson's disease more effectively.

Therapeutic Interventions

Physical therapy and speech-language therapy play important roles in symptomatic treatment and may indirectly improve survival by preventing common complications like aspiration pneumonia. Specialized therapists can significantly amplify these benefits, helping patients maintain function as the progressive disease advances through its various stages of Parkinson's disease.

Early intervention and comprehensive care planning become increasingly important as Parkinson's disease progresses. Addressing swallowing difficulties, fall prevention, and respiratory health can help prevent the most common causes of death in advanced Parkinson's.

What Should Patients and Families Know?

Honest communication about prognosis is essential for people with Parkinson's disease and their families. Most patients prefer early discussions about their prognosis and end-of-life care, as delaying these conversations can mean patients lose the ability to participate due to cognitive decline or communication issues [4].

The median survival with Parkinson's disease is approximately 10 years, but this figure encompasses a wide range of individual experiences. People with Parkinson's diagnosed at younger ages face the greatest reductions in life expectancy, while older patients may live with Parkinson's for many years with appropriate medical management.

Global disparities in healthcare access, including racial and ethnic disparities in high-income countries and broader inequalities in low- and middle-income countries, significantly affect health outcomes and survival for patients with Parkinson's disease. Access to specialized care, medications, and supportive therapies can substantially impact both quality of life and survival outcomes.

Understanding that Parkinson's can reduce life expectancy should drive continued research and advocacy efforts while helping patients and families make informed decisions about treatment and care planning. The goal remains helping people with Parkinson's maintain quality of life and live as fully as possible for as long as possible.

Seek Neurology Associates' Expert Support for Parkinson's Disease

If you're concerned about life expectancy for Parkinson's disease or notice early signs like tremor or movement changes, getting expert neurological care can help you understand your prognosis and create an appropriate treatment plan. Neurology Associates Neuroscience Center at Chandler and Mesa in Arizona specializes in helping patients with Parkinson's disease understand their condition and optimize their care to enhance the quality of life throughout the disease course.

Our team understands how various factors influence survival in patients with Parkinson and disease progression. We create personalized care plans that assess your individual risk factors while monitoring for changes in symptoms and implementing treatment options to help you maintain quality of life. We know that worrying about life expectancy after a Parkinson's diagnosis can feel overwhelming, so we offer detailed consultations about prognosis and flexible scheduling for patients who qualify.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog post is for informational purposes only and not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for diagnosis or treatment decisions regarding Parkinson's disease, prognosis, or any other medical condition. Do not rely on this content as a substitute for professional medical guidance.

References

1. Bäckström, D., Granåsen, G., Domellöf, M. E., Linder, J., Mo, S. J., Riklund, K., Zetterberg, H., Blennow, K., & Forsgren, L. (2018). Early predictors of mortality in parkinsonism and Parkinson disease: A population-based study. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6282235/

2. Rabin, R. C. (2017, January 13). How Do You Die of Parkinson's Disease? The New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/well.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/01/13/how-do-you-die-of-parkinsons-disease/

3. Dommershuijsen, L. J., Darweesh, S. K. L., van der Eijk, M., Koudstaal, L. J., van der Zande, H. J., Savica, R., de Bie, R. M. A., Ikram, A., & Ikram, M. A. (2020). Life expectancy of parkinsonism patients in the general population. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, 77, 94-99. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353802020301954

4. Dommershuijsen, L. J., Darweesh, S. K. L., Ben-Shlomo, Y., Kluger, B. M., & Bloem, B. R. (2023). The elephant in the room: critical reflections on mortality rates among individuals with Parkinson's disease. npj Parkinson's Disease, 9, 145. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41531-023-00588-9