Parkinson’s

Parkinson's disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years.

The 3 main symptoms of Parkinson's disease are:

• involuntary shaking of particular parts of the body (tremor)
• slow movement
• stiff and inflexible muscles

A person with Parkinson's disease can also experience a wide range of other physical and psychological symptoms.

These include:

• depression and anxiety
• balance problems (this may increase the chances of a fall)
• loss of sense of smell (anosmia)
• problems sleeping (insomnia)
• memory problems

It's thought around 1 in 500 people are affected by Parkinson's disease. Most people with Parkinson's start to develop symptoms when they're over 50, although around 1 in 20 people with the condition first experience symptoms when they're under 40. Men are slightly more likely to get Parkinson's disease than women.