Who is affected by Parkinson's disease

It is estimated that about 1 million people in the United States (or about 4 in every 1,000) have Parkinson's disease.¹ Approximately 6.3 million people are affected by Parkinson's disease worldwide.²

The number of new cases increases with age, affecting 1% of people older than 60 and up to 3% of people older than 85.^{3, 4}

Symptoms of Parkinson's disease most often first appear during a person's 50s or 60s. The disease progresses gradually over 10 to 15 years, resulting in increasing disability. Early-onset disease (before age 30 to 40) is not common; among the total number of Parkinson's disease cases, 5% to 10% are early-onset.³

Parkinson's disease occurs more often in men than in women, but the reason for this is unknown.⁵

Author:	Monica Rhodes	Last Updated: December 13, 2006
Medical Review:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology
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