Parkinsons is a Neurological Motor disease impacting movement caused by the loss of brain cells that produce dopamine

Causes of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the brain. This leads to a reduction of dopamine in the brain.

Dopamine plays a vital role in regulating the movement of the body. A reduction in dopamine is responsible for many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Exactly what causes the loss of nerve cells is unclear. Most experts think that a combination of genetic and environmental factors is responsible.

Who's affected

Most people with Parkinson's start to develop symptoms when they're over 50, although some people with the condition first experience symptoms when they're under 40.

The number of Men who have parkinsons is larger than the number of woman with parkinsons but both men and woman are able to get the disease.

Treating Parkinson's disease

Although there's currently no cure for Parkinson's disease, treatments are available to help reduce the main symptoms and maintain quality of life for as long as possible.

These include:

• supportive treatments, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy
• medication
• in some cases, brain surgery

You may not need any treatment during the early stages of Parkinson's disease, as symptoms are usually mild.

But you may need regular appointments with your specialist so your condition can be monitored.

Parkinson's UK

Parkinson’s UK is the main Parkinson's support and research charity in the UK.

They can help if you're living with the disease and let you know about support groups in the area.

Find out more about support groups in your local area from the Parkinson's UK website

You can contact them by:

• calling their free helpline on 0808 800 0303 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays)
• emailing hello@parkinsons.org.uk

You can also talk to others about your experiences of Parkinson's on the community forum on the Parkinson's UK website