Parkinson's disease inpatient mortality: Attention to sudden death

Abstract

Traditionally, Parkinson’s Disease (PD) has been depicted in research as primarily characterized by its motor symptoms.1 The progression of the disease frequently leads to a range of debilitating manifestations, encompassing diminished mobility, cognitive decline resulting in dementia, and autonomic dysfunction. Moreover, individuals affected by PD exhibit heightened mortality rates when compared with demographically matched cohorts,2 a trend that has been notably exacerbated in recent years. This is something concerning given the anticipated doubling of PD prevalence by 2050, attributable to global population aging, with projections estimating a population of 2.1 billion individuals affected.3 Thus, PD is not only a degenerative, chronic and progressive disease, but also a deadly one.