{"id":1073,"date":"2026-02-20T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/?p=1073"},"modified":"2026-02-19T14:13:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T05:13:33","slug":"analysis-of-inpatient-numbers-for-designated-intractable-diseases-shows-parkinsons-disease-and-ulcerative-colitis-among-the-most-prevalent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/2026\/article-1073.html","title":{"rendered":"Analysis of Inpatient Numbers for Designated Intractable Diseases Shows Parkinson\u2019s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Among the Most Prevalent."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Every year at the end of February, the international awareness day \u201cRare Disease Day (RDD)\u201d is observed to promote understanding of rare and intractable diseases. Although the number of patients affected by these conditions is limited, many require long term treatment, making it essential to accurately understand patient population sizes based on real world clinical data when considering research and development as well as healthcare delivery systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Japan, \u201cdesignated intractable diseases\u201d are conditions designated by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare based on criteria including unknown etiology, lack of established treatments, rarity, and the need for long term care. As of April 2025, a total of 348 diseases have been designated under this framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Against this backdrop, Medical Data Vision, which operates one of the largest medical databases in Japan, extracted designated intractable diseases based on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare\u2019s official \u201cList of Designated Intractable Diseases and Clinical Survey Forms.\u201d Using data from April 2023 onward, the company analyzed year by year trends in the number of hospitalized patients. The analysis summarizes the top 10 designated intractable diseases by inpatient volume (Table 1), as well as the top 10 diseases within the \u201cneurological and neuromuscular disorders\u201d category (Table 2) and the \u201cimmune system disorders\u201d category (Table 3), based on inpatient numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Top 10 Designated Intractable Diseases with the Highest Inpatient Volume (Table 1)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"527\" src=\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_01-1024x527.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1074\" srcset=\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_01-1024x527.png 1024w, https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_01-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_01-768x396.png 768w, https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_01.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Top 10 Diseases in the \u201cNeurological and Neuromuscular Disease\u201d Category (Table 2)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"744\" src=\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_02-1024x744.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_02-1024x744.png 1024w, https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_02-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_02-768x558.png 768w, https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_02.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Top 10 Diseases in the \u201cImmunological Disease Area\u201d (Table 3)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"546\" src=\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_03-1024x546.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1081\" srcset=\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_03-1024x546.png 1024w, https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_03-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_03-768x410.png 768w, https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_03.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>(Tables 1, 2, and 3) Study period: April 2023 to September 2025 <br>Number of facilities included: 445<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:80px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reference<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p> Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: \u201cList of Designated Intractable Disease Names and Clinical Survey Individual Forms\u201d <br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mhlw.go.jp\/stf\/newpage_53881.html\">https:\/\/www.mhlw.go.jp\/stf\/newpage_53881.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PMDA (Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, Japan): List of Approved New Drugs (FY 2023 and FY 2024)<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pmda.go.jp\/review-services\/drug-reviews\/review-information\/p-drugs\/0010.html\">https:\/\/www.pmda.go.jp\/review-services\/drug-reviews\/review-information\/p-drugs\/0010.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:80px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"214\" height=\"269\" src=\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DRTH.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1075\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Physician\u2019s Comment<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor Taku Hatano<br>Department of Neurology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine<br>Director, Parkinson\u2019s Disease Center, Juntendo Hospital<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parkinson\u2019s disease, a neurological intractable disease, was first described in detail in 1817 by the British physician James Parkinson. The disease develops when abnormal protein aggregates, known as Lewy bodies, accumulate within nerve cells, leading to their dysfunction and degeneration. In particular, the loss of dopamine-producing neurons causes characteristic symptoms such as tremor of the limbs, bradykinesia (slowness of movement), muscle rigidity, and postural instability, which can result in falls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The age of onset is most commonly between 60 and 70 years, with cases developing before the age of 50 being relatively rare. As such, Parkinson\u2019s disease is considered an age-related condition whose prevalence increases with aging. In addition, some of its symptoms overlap with those of dementia, making diagnosis challenging in certain cases. Complicating matters further, dementia associated with Parkinson\u2019s disease can closely resemble dementia with Lewy bodies, which may add to diagnostic difficulty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to a lack of understanding about the disease, many patients feel significant anxiety when they are diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease. While a curative treatment has yet to be established, advances in medical care have made it possible to manage the condition effectively. Treatments include pharmacotherapy with levodopa (L-DOPA), which supplements depleted dopamine levels in the brain, deep brain stimulation, and rehabilitation. As a result, even when hospitalization is required, some patients are now able to return to independent daily living after approximately two weeks of treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:200px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year at the end of February, the international awareness day \u201cRare Disease Day (RDD)\u201d is observed to pro [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Analysis of Inpatient Numbers for Designated Intractable Diseases Shows Parkinson\u2019s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Among the Most Prevalent. - News | Medical Data Vision Co., Ltd.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/2026\/article-1073.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ja_JP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Analysis of Inpatient Numbers for Designated Intractable Diseases Shows Parkinson\u2019s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Among the Most Prevalent. - News | Medical Data Vision Co., Ltd.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every year at the end of February, the international awareness day \u201cRare Disease Day (RDD)\u201d is observed to pro [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/2026\/article-1073.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News | Medical Data Vision Co., Ltd.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-20T02:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-19T05:13:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/en_mdvdatareport_2026.02_01-1024x527.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"enmdvnews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u57f7\u7b46\u8005\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"enmdvnews\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"\u63a8\u5b9a\u8aad\u307f\u53d6\u308a\u6642\u9593\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10\u5206\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/2026\/article-1073.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/en.mdv.co.jp\/news\/2026\/article-1073.html\",\"name\":\"Analysis of Inpatient Numbers for Designated Intractable Diseases Shows Parkinson\u2019s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Among the Most Prevalent. - 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