Rising trend in Parkinson’s disease revealed

2 Jan 2020

The number of patients receiving treatment for Parkinson’s disease in Scotland is rising sharply.

According to latest figures, there were 333,000 drugs handed out last year, signalling an increasing annual trend.

The number of patients receiving the medication has risen by more than 28 per cent since 2010/11, according to the research by the Scottish Conservatives.

The majority of people who suffer from Parkinson’s are elderly, and the increase appears to be another consequence of Scotland’s ageing population.

The Scottish Conservatives said more had to be done to ensure the NHS north of the border was equipped to deal with the rise.

The ISD Scotland figures show there were 333,167 Parkinson’s drug items dispensed in 2018/19.

That compares to 323,999 the previous year, and 319,389 in 2016/17.

In 2010/11, there were only 260,355 items dispensed.

Because of decreasing drug prices, the overall cost has remained steady at around £11 million per year.

Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said:

“It’s very worrying that more and more people are receiving treatment for such a painful and debilitating illness.

“Of course, people living longer is a great thing, but it also brings challenges.

“It’s essential the SNP government ensures our NHS is equipped to help these patients and give them the care they need.

“The nationalists have been caught out before when it comes to coping with an ageing demographic – they cannot afford to make the same mistake here.”