Retrospective chart review found Chinese immigrants with idiopathic Parkinson's in NYC had a mean reported diagnostic latency of ~20 months, with gait/postural-onset cases experiencing longer delays than tremor-dominant cases.

Although not mechanistic, the study identifies sociocultural and healthcare-access barriers that delay diagnosis and treatment initiation, which can affect clinical outcomes and equitable recruitment into therapeutic trials.

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic delay in Parkinson's disease (PD) is influenced by symptoms and clinical phenotypes, healthcare access, and sociocultural context. Minority and immigrant populations face distinct barriers to diagnosis, but data on Chinese immigrants are limited. OBJECTIVE: To describe reported diagnostic latency and selected clinical, social, and healthcare-related factors among Chinese immigrants with Parkinson's disease in New York City. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of Chinese immigrant patients with idiopathic PD seen at Parkinson's Center of Excellence at Columbia University Irving Medical Center between March 2022 and March 2025. Demographic, clinical, and social data were collected from medical records and telephone follow-up. Diagnostic latency was defined as the interval between reported motor symptom onset and formal PD diagnosis. RESULTS: Among 3303 patients with parkinsonism, 74 Chinese immigrants met inclusion criteria and 57 had sufficient data for analysis (78%). The mean reported diagnostic latency was 20.4 ± 18.0 months and appeared longer than values reported in prior U.S. and Chinese cohorts. Patients with gait or postural onset had longer delays than those with tremor/bradykinesia/rigidity onset (3 vs 1 year, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, the interval between reported motor symptom onset and formal diagnosis appeared longer than values described in prior U.S. and Chinese studies, although direct comparison is limited by methodological differences and the absence of an internal control group. These findings provide preliminary descriptive insight into diagnostic pathways among Chinese immigrants with PD and support further study of culturally and linguistically relevant barriers to specialty care.