Advanced care for Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that progresses slowly in most people. Most people’s symptoms take years to develop, and they live for years with the disease. It is estimated that 6.3 million people have Parkinson’s disease worldwide, affecting all races and cultures. If you’re one of them, you probably know that this neurological movement disorder has no cure.
Men are affected about 1.5 to 2 times more often than women. Age is the largest risk factor for the development and progression of Parkinson’s disease. Most people who develop Parkinson’s disease are 60 years of age or older. Movement disorders such as Parkinson’s are neurological syndromes characterized by an excess of movement or a paucity of movement that is not connected to weakness, paralysis or spasticity of the muscles.
The impact of these disorders can be enormous, with loss of employment, inability to drive and difficulties in performing activities of daily living, including basic personal hygiene.
The most common movement disorder is essential tremor. It affects one in 20 people under the age of 40 and one in five people over 65. Dystonia is another type of movement disorder where there is excessive spasm of a group of muscles, making them painful and difficult to move. This leads to abnormal postures or writhing, twisting movements of part of the body. Dystonias affect 0.4% of the population.
West Coast Neurology is the leading center that provides excellent care for Parkinson’s and movement disorders. To schedule your visit, please call (626) 598-3770 or book an appointment online by clicking here.
