A pioneering research in the country reveals that although Nicoya is recognized worldwide as one of the five blue zones of the world, its population does not escape the great challenges in the matter of aging.
This canton of Guanacaste is one of the five regions that registers more cases of deaths by Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder, which claimed the lives of 315 Costa Ricans (mostly male) between the ages of 50 and 70, between 2009 and 2013.
Doctor David Corrales reveals the need to know more about this disease through epidemiological data.
The region of the world with the highest expected increase of neurocognitive diseases is Latin America, with up to 433% increase in the number of expected cases. The greatest disadvantage is in those countries whose population has the highest life expectancy and is underdeveloped; Costa Rica meets these conditions,”
explained the doctor.
According to Corrales, this is the first research on Parkinson’s with this approach in the country.
At a national level, the areas with the highest mortality rates due to Parkinson’s were the Central Pacific, the Chorotega Region and the Huerta Norte Region.
Corrales is worried because the cantons belonging to the Guanacaste area -especially the Nicoya peninsula and the coast- are the most vulnerable to deaths from this disease.
The specific justification that explains such behavior is still unclear, because there are a number of variables that could theoretically explain why areas such as the Atlantic have such low rates. Theories could be created to clarify why the most affected area is the one surrounding the Gulf of Nicoya. But there are no studies that can demonstrate this behavior,”
said the doctor.
The list is headed by Dota (region of Nicoya), where the highest rate in the country was recorded, with 85 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
Given this scenario, Corrales thinks it is necessary to investigate what creates the highest mortality in the country, and then implement measures to counteract this problem.
The doctor believes the State should invest in short and long term actions in several areas, such as research, prevention or early detection, medical education and information.