Parkinson's Disease

More than 180 years ago, James Parkinson first described the disorder that bears his name, and 30 years ago levodopa, still the most effective therapy, was introduced. Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder of unknown cause that affects over 1 million people in North America. Age is the single most consistent risk factor, and with the increasing age of the general population, the prevalence of Parkinson's disease will rise steadily in the future. The impact of the disease is indicated by the fact that mortality is two to five times as high among affected persons as among age-matched controls,1– . . .