About Parkinson's — Ending Parkinson's Disease: THE BOOK

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, neurodegenerative disorder that impacts movement. While PD is considered age-related as most individuals are diagnosed after age 50, up to 10% develop the disease in their forties or younger.

Individuals with PD experience a range of motor and non-motor symptoms due to the loss of nerve cells in the particular region of the brain that produces dopamine, which helps to control movement. Motor symptoms commonly include tremors, stiffness, slowness in movement, and difficulties with balance. Non-motor symptoms, which often precede motor symptoms, may include loss of sense of smell, mood and sleep disorders, and constipation, among others. These symptoms vary from individual to individual and often progress slowly over many years.

Between 1990 to 2015 the number of individuals diagnosed with PD doubled from 2.6 million to a staggering 6.3 million worldwide.There are treatments to relieve PD symptoms, including medication and surgery, but there is no cure.