a disorder of the
brain occurring most commonly in people between the ages of 50-70. The disease is named for
English physician James Parkinson (1755-1824), who first described it in 1817. It reduces muscle
control and is characterized by trembling lips and hands, muscle
rigidity, and in later stages
body tremors, partial face
paralysis, balance difficulties, slow
movement and weakness. Developing gradually, usually beginning on one side of the
body and spreading to the opposite side, the
symptoms of the disease are associated with the
destruction of
nerve cells in a certain region of the
brain. This
results in a
loss of a certain chemical used by the
nerve cells to communicate to the rest of the
brain. The disease is also known as
shaking palsy (
palsy is
complete or partial muscle
paralysis, often accompanied by uncontrollable
body tremors and movements, and
loss of
sensation).