It is well known that Parkinson’s disease mostly affects older people. But apart from that, what other factors indicate higher chances of developing this debilitating illness?
Let’s take age itself as the starting point, because there are some nuances that are not generally known. In line with popular perceptions, about 90% of people with the illness are over 60 years old.
This is true even if you consider the age at which the symptoms first appear. Not even 10% of cases are diagnosed in adults under age 40. Most of the fresh diagnoses are in those above age 60.
However, that’s not the whole story.
Among those over 60, the risk goes up from age 60 to age 75. After that, it drops sharply. In other words, someone who is 85 years old is less likely to get Parkinson’s disease than someone who is 70, statistically speaking. This may seem surprising to most people.
Let’s look at it from another angle. The above statistics apply to those who have been diagnosed with the illness. If we take what is called Parkinsonism (meaning, symptoms of Parkinson’s that have other causes, or symptoms that may develop into the...