Parkinson’s disease in sub-Saharan Africa: step-by-step into the challenge

Abstract

SUMMARY Nowadays, most developing countries are experiencing a demographic transition characterized by an increase in mean life expectancy, thus the prevalence of age-related disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) are expected to increase accordingly. Previous reports suggest that PD is still largely underdiagnosed and undertreated in low-income areas because of the limited availability of trained staff and medication, as well as inadequate patient follow-up and education. In this article, we performed a step-by-step assessment of the main challenges encountered in the management of patients with PD in developing countries, ranging from diagnostic to therapeutic issues. These issues stem from published literature and, mostly, from our direct experience of PD management in Ghana and Zambia through personal contribution of local physicians who face this challenge in their routine clinical practice.