Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition. This means that it causes problems in the brain and symptoms can get worse over time.
People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of a chemical called dopamine because some nerve cells in their brain have died. Without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things. The loss of nerve cells in the brain causes the symptoms of Parkinson’s to appear.
There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s and we don’t yet know why people develop the condition.
One person in every 350 has Parkinson’s. That’s about 145,000 people in the UK. Most people who get Parkinson’s are aged 50 or over but younger people can develop it too.
The 3 main symptoms of Parkinson's disease affect physical movement:
The symptoms someone has and how quickly the condition develops will
differ from one
person to the next. The symptoms can be controlled using a combination of
drugs, therapies and, occasionally, surgery when the symptoms are severe. In
recent years it has become clear that EXERCISE can also slow the progression
of Parkinson’s.
The Parkinson’s UK main website has a wealth of material covering all
aspects of Parkinson’s. If you are newly diagnosed or would like more
information we suggest you start here:
Parkinson’s Information and Support.