|
|
|
|
||||
Parkinson's disease
Young onset parkinson's disease
Although the majority of people diagnosed with Parkinson's will be aged over 60; it is estimated that 1 in 7 people diagnosed will be aged under fifty at diagnosis. One in twenty people will be aged under forty at diagnosis. Medically a person is usually said to have young onset Parkinson's disease when the symptoms develop after the age of twenty-one and before the age of forty. Theories about the nature of young onset Parkinson's vary. The general medical opinion suggests that young onset Parkinson's disease is idiopathic Parkinson's disease occurring at a younger age, although some doctors have suggested it may be a different but related condition.
Clinically most people with young onset Parkinson's disease present with classic symptoms of the condition, such as rigidity, slowness of movement and the characteristic resting tremor. No two people with young-onset Parkinson's will be exactly the same and the presentation and rate of progression of the condition will vary considerably from person to person.
As Parkinson's is often wrongly identified as being a condition affecting only older people, younger people with Parkinson's have often found it difficult to get an accurate diagnosis because of their age.
Generally younger people respond well to the drugs, such as levodopa, used to treat Parkinson's. However, a large proportion of people with young onset Parkinson's disease may develop side-effects much earlier on in the course of the treatment.
People with young onset Parkinson's will have to live with the condition for thirty to forty years. Decisions about treatment options need to take into account the person's current level of ability and quality of life, as well as personal circumstances and needs. It is important that young people with Parkinson's are under the care of a neurologist or other specialist doctor with a special interest in Parkinson's.
How is it treated?
| Psychological and behavioural characteristics 
Donate Now
makingcontact.org
Pounds for parents
Subscribe to the 