Parkinson's Disease ( PD)

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cardinal symptoms of stiffness , resting tremor , slowness ( bradykinesia ) and reduction of movement ( hypokinesia ) Clarke CE BMJ 2007 Parkinsonism describes the motor features of PD and Parkinson's disease is the most common cause of Parkinsonism. PD can also be divided into two types based on origin (1 ) Primary or Idiopathic (2) secondary or acquired where the disease is linked to various offending agents such as drugs , toxins , infection , tumour etc.

How common ? PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer disease Named after London GP James Parkinson who described this it in 1817 in ' Essay on the shaking palsy ' Lifetime risk is approximately 3-7 % Parkinson's disease typically develops between the ages of 55 -65 It affects 1-2 % of people over the age of 60 which rises to 1-3 % by the age of 85-89 About 0.3 % of the general population is affected More common in men and in people of white descent compared to people of Asian and African descent The global prevalence of PD is increasing over time and is expected to double by...