Next Section

Introduction

Parkinson's disease is a central nervous disorder with symptoms including resting tremor, movement slowness, muscle rigidity/stiffness, and balance problems. Other possible symptoms include cramped handwriting, decreased facial expression, decreased voice volume/hoarseness, stooped posture, decreased arm swing on the affected side, and changes in gait. The disease affects close to 2 million persons in the United States. Though incidence is higher in the over-50 age group, there has been an increase in the number of persons younger than 50 with the disorder.

Next Section

This fact sheet was last updated on 03-02-2007.