Assessment of causes, knowledge and risk factors of Parkinson's disease among general population in Wasit Province, Iraq

Background: Millions of individuals worldwide are afflicted by the widespread, progressive neurological condition known as Parkinson's disease. This study sought to identify the causes, risk factors, and general public understanding of Parkinson disease in Wasit, Iraq.

Methods: This cross-sectional research in Iraq involved 484 people in total. The period of data collection is from December 1, 2021, to April 15, 2022. A face-to-face interview and an electronic platform made public on social media were used to fill out a pre-tested questionnaire. Both descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze the data.

Result: According to the individuals' sociodemographic characteristics, there were 305 females (63%) and 179 men (37%) among them. 307 respondents, or 63.2%, were from Wasit. The majority of participants are aware that the brain is the organ most commonly impacted, and they also ask additional questions.

Conclusion: The patients and medical student may have acceptable knowledge about the disease.