Mortality in elderly Parkinson's disease patients with long-term care needs: A nationwide population-based study in Korea

Background

The effects of long-term care insurance (LTCI) in reducing medical costs and utilization among older adults have been reported. This study aims to investigate the mortality in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) requiring LTCI and its relationships with economic status.

Methods

This study was conducted using the database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)-Senior Cohort between 2008 and 2019. A total of 5937 patients with PD were included. Hazard ratios (HRs) of mortality associated with LTCI were estimated using a Cox regression model. Potential confounders such as demographics and comorbidities were adjusted.

Results

Out of 5937 PD patients, 821 required LTCI, and 5116 did not. Compared to PD patients without LTCI, PD patients with LTCI were older and exhibited a higher comorbidity burden. The overall incidence rate of mortality was 18.63 per 100 person-years in PD patients with LTCI. PD patients requiring LTCI were associated with an increased HR of 3.61 (95 % CI = 3.13–4.16) for mortality compared to PD patients not eligible for LTCI. Low-income status with LTCI was associated with the highest mortality risk (HR = 4.54, 95 % CI = 3.38–6.09), compared to middle-income status (HR = 3.47, 95 % CI = 2.64–4.61) and high-income status (HR = 3.53, 95 % CI = 2.91–4.91).

Conclusions

Our study suggests that older PD patients requiring LTCI with low economic status have a higher risk of death. Continuous policy efforts to reduce the mortality risk in this group are needed.