Sex/Gender Differences in Parkinson’s Disease

The impacts of risk factors for developing Parkinson’s disease exhibit sex/gender differences. The global incidence of Parkinson’s disease is 1.5 times higher in men than in women; however, in South Korea, the incidence has been reported to be 1.4 times higher in women than in men. Tremors are more predominant in women, and women tend to display better movement disorders and cognitive function than men. Nonetheless, women face a higher risk of developing dyskinesia and motor complications related to long-term levodopa treatment. Sex/gender differences in non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are also apparent. Women suffer more severely from depression, anxiety, gastrointestinal motility disorders, and pain than men, and the decline in quality of life due to non-motor symptoms is more pronounced in women. Even when motor complications from the progression of Parkinson’s disease worsen, female patients are less likely to undergo surgical treatments, including deep brain stimulation, than male patients.