University of Pennsylvania Study Finds Gender Differences in Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

A new study conducted at the Pereleman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, finds that women with Parkinson’s disease are less likely than men with the disease to receive deep brain stimulation surgery to reduce tremors. Parkinson’s disease affects more than 2 million Americans. Deep brain stimulation surgery has been shown to be effective but involves extensive pre-operative testing and may include costs not covered by many insurance plans, including Medicare.

The study examined the cases of 8,420 patients who received deep brain stimulation surgery. Nearly 60 percent of these patients were men. About half of all Parkinson’s disease patients are women.

Allison Willis, an assistant professor of neurology and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and the lead author of the study, stated, “There are widespread disparities among Parkinson’s patients that are restricting equal utilization of evidence-based care, limiting patients’ quality of life and increasing societal and health care costs.”

Dr. Willis earned her medical degree at the University of Illinois and holds a master’s degree in clinical investigation from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The article, “Disparities in Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery Among Insured Elders With Parkinson Disease,” was published in the journal Neurology. It may be accessed here.