Parkinson’s affects women differently from men, study shows

Women with Parkinson’s disease experience more severe motor complications and depression, while men are more likely to have cognitive difficulties, reduced sense of smell, and sleep disturbances, according to a large study in Germany.

The findings, drawn from almost 11,000 people with Parkinson’s, suggest that the disease affects men and women differently, even when their ages and disease duration are similar.

“Sex differences in movement disorders remain understudied and undervalued despite having an important impact on clinical outcomes in both real-life and clinical trials settings,” Marina Picillo, MD, assistant professor of neurology at AOU San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d’Aragona, said in a press release from the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

The findings, “Sex-Specific Differences in Parkinson’s Disease: A Retrospective Analysis of over 10,000 Patients from the Paracelsus-Elena Hospital, a Specialized Movement Disorder Clinic in Germany,” were presented at the 2026 International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, held Oct. 4-8 in Seoul, South Korea.

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Parkinson’s is caused by the loss of nerve cells that produce dopamine, a chemical messenger involved in movement control. It is characterized by motor symptoms, such as tremors, rigidity, and slowed movements, as well as nonmotor symptoms, including depression, cognitive difficulties, sleep disturbances, and loss of the sense of smell.

Although Parkinson’s is more commonly diagnosed in men, researchers are increasingly recognizing that the disease may affect women and men differently. However, large studies examining these differences remain limited.

Researchers at a specialized movement disorders clinic in Germany retrospectively analyzed medical records from 10,943 people with Parkinson’s (59.5% men) who were followed between 2009 and 2019.

Participants had a mean age of about 70 and had developed Parkinson’s symptoms at around age 63. Both men and women had been living with the disease for about seven years.

Women had significantly higher scores on the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part IV, which assesses motor complications (motor fluctuations and dyskinesia), with a mean score of 4.25, compared with 3.45 points for men. Higher scores indicate a greater burden from these complications.

There were no significant differences between women and men in other UPDRS measures evaluating motor symptoms and motor and nonmotor experiences of daily living.

Depression was significantly more common among women with Parkinson’s, while men were more likely to experience more severe cognitive difficulties, a poorer sense of smell, and REM sleep behavior disorder, a condition that can precede Parkinson’s by many years. People with the disorder act out their dreams, sometimes moving or talking in their sleep.

“By analyzing data for more than 10,000 [Parkinson’s] patients, this study confirmed that depression is more common in women, while RBD, worse cognition, and poorer olfaction are more prevalent in men,” Picillo said. “With good representation of women (40%), it also confirmed a greater female burden of motor complications.”

Further analyses incorporating Parkinson’s treatment information are planned to help understand what drives these differences, the researchers noted.

The findings highlight the importance of considering sex when designing clinical trials and developing individualized treatment approaches, particularly because women have historically been underrepresented in neurological research.

“This would be the very first, basic step for boosting precision medicine in [Parkinson’s disease],” Picillo said.