Epidemiology

​​The reported prevalence of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) - which usually reflects that of the most common phenotypic subtype, Richardson’s syndrome (PSP-RS) - is around 5-6/100,000 people with no gender preponderance, according to data from the UK.[5][6]​​​​​ A higher prevalence of about 18/100,000 people has been reported from Japan, probably because of two factors: the inclusion of the parkinsonism (PSP-P) and progressive gait freezing (PSP-PGF) phenotypes in addition to PSP-RS, and better detection and diagnosis due to government support programmes for patients with PSP.[7]

PSP prevalence increases with age.[8][9]​​​​ 

  • The typical age of onset is the mid 60s.[10]​ 

  • No autopsy-confirmed case has been demonstrated in an individual younger than age 40 years.[3]

  • The median survival has been reported as 6 to 7.4 years.[11]

​​There are as yet no epidemiological data about any difference in disease incidence, prevalence, or prognosis between different ethnicities.

Of all PSP clinical variants, PSP-RS is the most common phenotype, accounting for 40% to 50% of cases, followed by PSP-P, which accounts for about 30% to 40%.[4][12][13] Of the remaining variants, PSP-corticobasal syndrome (PSP-CBS), PSP-frontal presentation (PSP-F), and PSP-speech/language disorder (PSP-SL) are probably more common than PSP-progressive gait freezing (PSP-PGF).[2]

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