Prevalence of Parkinson's disease and other types of parkinsonism: A door-to-door survey in three Sicilian municipalities

We investigated the prevalence of Parkinson's disease and other types of parkinsonism in a Sicilian population using a door-to-door two-phase approach. This design called for the administration of a brief screening instrument to all subjects who, on November 1, 1987, were residents of Terrasini (Palermo Province), Santa Teresa di Riva (Messina Province), and Riposto (Catania Province), Sicily (N = 24,496). Study neurologists using specified diagnostic criteria extensively investigated those subjects who screened positive. We found 63 subjects affected by Parkinson's disease, 21 with secondary parkinsonism, and seven with unspecified parkinsonism. The crude prevalence per 100,000 population …