Parkinson’s disease attacks the central nervous system and causes problems with body movements, including tremor (weakness), rigidity (muscle tension), muscle movements slow, unstable posture and difficulty walking. This happens when nerve cells (neurons) in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra gradually die.
These cells normally produce a chemical called dopamine that helps transmit messages between brain areas that control body movements. The death of cells in this brain area leads to decreased levels of dopamine, which makes a person with Parkinson’s disease have difficulty controlling muscle tension and muscle movement, both at rest and during periods of activity.
Parkinson’s disease affects approximately 500,000 people in the U.S., with about 50,000 new cases each year. It usually occurs during middle age, typically around age 60. However, approximately 50% of patients the disease appears earlier in these cases the symptoms manifest when the patient is younger than 40 years. Worldwide, Parkinson’s disease affects approximately 1 to 2 of every 1,000 patients. It affects Europeans or Americans more often than Asians or Africans and is more common in men than in women.
Until now, scientists have not determined why some people develop Parkinson’s disease and others do not. Genetics is complex and the influence of family history depends on the age at which the disease manifested itself. A person with a parent or child who was diagnosed with the disease at an early age have an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, but has no risk if the affected family member had 60 years or older at diagnosis.
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