About Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease was first described in England in 1817 by Dr. James Parkinson. The disease most often develops after age 50. It is the second most common nervous system disorder of  the elderly. Sometimes Parkinson's disease occurs in younger adults, but is rarely seen in children. It affects both men and women.

Parkinson’s disease affects 1.6 million people in the U.S. and, according to the National Institutes of Health, about 50,000 new cases are reported annually.  This number will rise dramatically with the aging of the “Baby Boomer” generation.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease range from tremors, slowness of movement, rigidity, difficulty walking and poor balance to difficulty in speech and swallowing, depression and memory loss.  It is a chronic neurodegenerative illness with variable progression over time.  Each person diagnosed with Parkinson's will experience symptoms differently. 

We do not know what causes Parkinson’s disease and, as yet, there is no known cure.