A new study found that Parkinson's disease, the second most common age-related neurodegenerative condition in North America, is more common in the U.S. than previously reported.
According to a study published Thursday in the British weekly scientific journal Nature, researchers initially estimated that the neurodegenerative condition would affect approximately 60,000 older Americans yearly. But recent data showed that nearly 90,000 would be diagnosed in the U.S. per year, the study found.
Researchers said they based their findings on looking at five prior studies by "using commonly applied diagnosis and case ascertainment methods applied to 2012 data."
In their findings, researchers also found that incidence also increased as Americans got older, and the rate of being diagnosed is higher among males.
According to the study, researchers believe the cause of the rising disease could possibly be attributed to a variety of factors, including population factors, like genetics, and geographic location, like exposure to environmental toxins.
The Parkinson's Foundation said currently about one million people in the U.S. have Parkinson's, which is expected to increase to 1.2 million by 2030.