Parkinson's Disease (cont.)
Who Gets Parkinson's Disease?
About 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year,
but getting an accurate count of the number of cases may be impossible because
many people in the early stages of the disease assume their symptoms are the
result of normal aging and do not seek help from a physician. Also, diagnosis is sometimes
difficult and uncertain because other conditions may produce symptoms of
Parkinson's disease and
there is no definitive test for the disease. People with Parkinson's disease may sometimes be
told by their doctors that they have other disorders, and people with
Parkinson's disease-like
diseases may be incorrectly diagnosed as having Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease strikes about 50 percent more men than women, but the reasons for this
discrepancy are unclear. While it occurs in people throughout the world, a
number of studies have found a higher incidence in developed countries, possibly
because of increased exposure to pesticides or other toxins in those countries.
Other studies have found an increased risk in people who live in rural areas and
in those who work in certain professions, although the studies to date are not
conclusive and the reasons for the apparent risks are not clear.
One clear risk factor for
Parkinson's disease is age. The average age of onset is 60 years,
and the incidence rises significantly with increasing age. However, about 5 to
10 percent of people with Parkinson's disease have "early-onset" disease that begins before the
age of 50. Early-onset forms of the disease are often inherited, though not
always, and some have been linked to specific gene mutations. People with one or
more close relatives who have Parkinson's disease have an increased risk of developing the
disease themselves, but the total risk is still just 2 to 5 percent unless the
family has a known gene mutation for the disease. An estimated 15 to 25 percent
of people with Parkinson's disease have a known relative with the disease.
In very rare cases, parkinsonian symptoms may appear in
people before the age of 20. This condition is called juvenile parkinsonism. It is most commonly seen
in Japan but has been found in other countries as well. It usually begins with
dystonia and bradykinesia, and the symptoms often improve with levodopa
medication. Juvenile parkinsonism often runs in families and is sometimes linked
to a mutated parkin gene.
Next: What are the Symptoms of the Parkinson's Disease? »
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