Parkinson's Disease

Home » Parkinson's Disease » Overview

Overview

Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder. Tremors, rigidity, slow movement (bradykinesia), poor balance, and difficulty walking (called parkinsonian gait) are characteristic primary symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease is the most common form of parkinsonism, a group of movement disorders that have similar features and symptoms. Parkinson's disease is called idiopathic Parkinson's because the cause is unknown. In the other forms of parkinsonism, a cause is known or suspected.

Parkinson's results from the degeneration a number of nuclei in the dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brainstem. Most attention has been given to the substantia nigra and the locus coeruleus. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates motor neurons, those nerve cells that control the muscles. When dopamine production is depleted, the motor system nerves are unable to control movement and coordination. Parkinson's disease patients have lost 80% or more of their dopamine-producing cells by the time symptoms appear.

Incidence and Prevalence
Parkinson's disease afflicts 1 to 1 1/2 million people in the United States. The disorder occurs in all races but is somewhat more prevalent among Caucasians. Men are affected slightly more often than women.

Symptoms of Parkinson's disease may appear at any age, but the average age of onset is 60. It is rare in people younger than 30 and risk increases with age. It is estimated that 5% to 10% of patients experience symptoms before the age of 40. Parkinson's disease is common in the elderly and one in 20 people over the age of 80 has the condition.

Parkinson's Disease, Overview reprinted with permission from neurologychannel.com
© 1998-2008 Healthcommunities.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Parkinson's Disease Resources

	Join Our Parkinson's Disease Forum Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others.	Advertising Disclaimer
	Living with...Share your story Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections.
	Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your story. View stories already submitted.
	Stay Updated Sign up for our newsletter and receive important updates on the medical conditions that are most important to you.
To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer