Parkinson's: 300,000 patients in Italia, Iss survey for new guidelines launched
The aim is to overcome inequalities in access to care and time of diagnosis but also in pharmacological and rehabilitation treatment choices
Key points
It is the second neurodegenerative disease after dementia with around 300,000 patients and 600,000 family members and a major health and social impact as well as a total annual cost of around 8.5 billion euros. We are talking about Parkinson's disease which, according to the most recent estimates, will double in number by 2050 and only partly due to the progressive ageing of the general population. Diagnoses could also increase because the factors underlying the disease are essentially still unknown and effective prevention strategies at population level are therefore not yet available. The data were presented during an event organised by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and the Confederazione Parkinson Italia, with the participation of the Italian Parkinson's Association and the Italian Youth Parkinson's Association, to mark World Parkinson's Day on 11 April,
Iss projects
Parkinson's disease is included in the National Chronicity Plan approved, in its new edition, at the Unified Conference on 23 October 2025. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità is contributing to the activities promoted by the National Working Table promoted by the Parkinson's Confederation Italia, which involves patients' associations, scientific societies, institutions and experts from various professions. Two concrete results have already been achieved. The first national guidelines for the Parkinson's Diagnostic Care Pathways (PDTA) have been drawn up, which aim to overcome the current territorial inhomogeneity and offer the Regions and Autonomous Provinces a quality standard to which they can conform. The second result is the drafting of a study protocol for the launch of the largest national survey ever conducted in Italia on the main clinical and care needs of people with Parkinson's and their families. The survey, coordinated by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, will be conducted in the coming months and the results will be available by the end of the year.
Leopard-spot management
"The Iss," explained President Rocco Bellantone, "is also working to be able to update the Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease, which date back to 2013. It should be emphasised that this tool of the guidelines, together with the drafting of quality Pdta, will make it possible to overcome those territorial inequalities in access to care and in the timing of diagnosis and therapeutic conduct, both pharmacological and rehabilitative".
Today, in fact, Italy has a patchy management of Parkinson's disease: the national census conducted by the Working Table photographs a critical situation with only 21 active PDTA documents, of which only eight are at the regional level, and with more than a quarter having no structured monitoring system. The Guidelines document will be taken to the Unified Conference in the coming weeks.
"The current policy context for people with Parkinson's disease and their families is extremely favourable," says Nicola Vanacore , director of the Department for the Promotion and Evaluation of Policies for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases at the Iss - "and the funding recently included in the latest Budget Law is a concrete sign of attention to this pathology and to the care and research needs related to it.
