Section 03 — When Parkinson ’ s Risk Becomes Parkinson ’ s Diagnosis
Parkinson ’ s Fast Facts
Estimates suggest that more than 1 million people in the United States and 6 million worldwide are living with Parkinson ’ s , making it the second most common major brain disease after Alzheimer ’ s . Because age is the greatest risk factor and the populations of many Western countries are aging , some estimates predict that the number of people with Parkinson ’ s could double by the year 2040 .
Parkinson ’ s disease :
01
Stems from a lack of dopamine Dopamine is a brain chemical that fuels movement , mood , motivation and more . In Parkinson ’ s , the specialized brain cells that manufacture dopamine are damaged or lost .
02
Is caused by age , genetics and environment The precise causes of Parkinson ’ s remain unknown ( and the subject of intensive investigation by research groups around the world ). But in most people , PD likely is caused by a mix of getting older , genetic risk and exposure to one or more environmental factors .
48 The Michael J . Fox Foundation for Parkinson ’ s Research