Parkinson's disease:
It is a slowly progressing, degenerative disease that is usually associated with the following symptoms, all of which result from the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells: tremor or trembling of the arms, jaw, legs, and face, stiffness or rigidity of the limbs and trunk, slowness of movement, and postural instability, or impaired balance and coordination.
The specific cause of PD is unknown, however, medical experts believe the symptoms are related to a chemical imbalance in the brain caused by brain-cell death. Parkinson's disease is chronic and progressive (symptoms grow worse).
Although the disease may appear in younger patients, it usually affects people in late middle age, and men and women in almost equal numbers. There is also a form that strikes teenagers.
