Parkinson disease

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Parkinson disease

pathology

Also known as: idiopathic parkinsonism, paralysis agitans, primary parkinsonism

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jan 5, 2025 • Article History

Also called:: primary parkinsonism, paralysis agitans, or idiopathic parkinsonism

Related Topics:: parkinsonism; antiparkinson drug; Parkinson disease dementia

See all related content

News •

Brain study challenges long-held views about Parkinson's movement disorders • Jan. 4, 2025, 12:37 AM ET (Medical Xpress)

North East group forms football team for players with Parkinson's • Dec. 26, 2024, 12:18 AM ET (BBC)

Clinical trial shows propranolol reduces tremors in Parkinson's disease • Dec. 24, 2024, 12:07 AM ET (Medical Xpress)

Watch: 90-year-old with Parkinson's enters weightlifting contest • Dec. 22, 2024, 7:46 PM ET (BBC)

Parkinson disease, a degenerative neurological disorder that is characterized by the onset of tremor, muscle rigidity, slowness in movement (bradykinesia), and stooped posture (postural instability). The disease was first described in 1817 by British physician James Parkinson in his “Essay on the Shaking Palsy.” Parkinson disease is the primary form of parkinsonism, a group of chronic disorders in which there is progressive loss of motor function due to the degeneration of neurons in the area of the brain that controls movement. Parkinson disease is distinguished from other types of parkinsonism because it is idiopathic, meaning it occurs in the absence ...(100 of 959 words)

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