Parkinson's Disease In The Elderly
Parkinson's disease (also known as Parkinson disease, or PD) is a neurological disorder that occurs when certain neurons in the brain die or become impaired. These nerve cells, located in a midbrain structure that controls muscle movement, produce dopamine, the chemical responsible for coordinated muscle function. Symptoms of Parkinson's disease begin to appear when 80 percent of these neurons become damaged.
Unlike many diseases, PD affects both men and women equally, as well as people of all ethnicity and socio-economic backgrounds. According to the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF), approximately 60,000 new cases of PD are diagnosed each year, joining the 1.5 million Americans who have the disease. The condition usually affects those over age 65. Approximately 1 percent of seniors have some form of the disease.
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