Female Parkinson’s disease patients are much less likely than male patients to have caregivers, despite the fact that caregivers report greater strain in caring for male patients. The findings come from a large study reported in Neurology by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. According to the researchers, the disparity between female and male patients probably derives in part from the fact that women tend to outlive their most likely potential caregivers: their husbands.

“Care provided by family and friends to people with Parkinson’s disease is an important source of support, and our findings show that women living with Parkinson’s are less likely to receive this support than men,” said study lead author Nabila Dahodwala, associate professor of neurology at Penn Medicine. “We need strategies to improve women’s access to this support.”

Dr. Dahodwala and colleagues’ analysis was part of a larger study of Parkinson’s patients, funded by the National Parkinson’s Foundation (NPF), that has been ongoing since 2009 at Penn Medicine and 20 other centers in the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands and Israel. The analysis covered 7,209 patients enrolled during 2009-2014.

She and her colleagues are now following up with a study designed to identify more precisely the causes of sex disparities in caregiver support for Parkinson’s patients, and to find ways to correct those disparities. “Our overall goal is to develop tailored interventions to support caregivers and, in particular, to design innovative programs to improve outcomes for women with Parkinson’s disease,” she said.