When you hear about Parkinson’s Disease (PD), what comes to mind? Michael J. Fox? Muhammad Ali? A loved one? A friend? For me, I think about my dad and his tenacity. For April, which is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, let’s talk about PD in a science-backed snippet.
What is it?
Parkinson’s is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by movement, or motor, symptoms such as tremor, slowed movement, rigid muscles, and impaired posture and balance. There are many other non-motor symptoms of PD, however, which may include: vision issues, anxiety, sweating, apathy, swallowing and speech problems, cognitive decline, sleep difficulties, constipation, sexual dysfunction, depression, pain, fatigue, low blood pressure, psychosis, and incontinence, among others. Taken together, Parkinson’s undermines an individual’s wellbeing over time and across domains of physical, emotional, social, vocational, financial, environmental, spiritual, legal, and intellectual/cognitive wellness. If you are a new reader of this blog, these areas of wellness are the foundation of the posts.
Who has it?
Up to 1 million Americans, including 110,000 veterans, have Parkinson’s, and those numbers are expected to double by 2040. Individuals with a family history of Parkinson’s or tremor may be vulnerable to PD onset, as well as those with one or more of 13 known genetic mutations. Environmental risk factors for Parkinson’s (starting with strongest) include “pesticide exposure, prior head injury, rural living, β-blocker use, agricultural occupation, and well-water drinking.” PD onset is most probable when genes and the environment interact.
What is the impact?
Parkinson’s is a significant public health issue that costs (direct and indirect) about $20 billion annually in terms of treatment and lost productivity. Children, spouses or long term partners, and friends or other nonrelatives often care for those with PD, and more Americans each year are becoming caregivers, up from 43.5 million in 2015 to 53 million people in 2020. Parkinson’s undermines multiple areas of health (as enumerated above) in caregivers too.
To learn more, you’ll have to buy my book coming in 2026!
Bottom line: Parkinson’s undermines the health of those diagnosed and their caregivers.
Hot Take: F*ck Parkinson’s!
How to help
Thank you for reading. To apply this Science-Backed Sunday Snippet, see the three S’s below:
See: Do you know someone with a loved one with Parkinson’s? If not, now you do! (the author of this blog). Please sign and support below for her, for you, and everyone else who will one day be impacted by Parkinson’s.
Sign: Click the links to write to Senators from your state and urge them to pass the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act. You can also sign a petition to tell Congress to pass the bill. Both items take less than 5 minutes.
Support: Donate to Team Fox athletes, Lucretia, Joanne, and/or Betty Francis (click their name), who are running races to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Every dollar goes directly to fund research and donations are tax deductible!