| It is well known that Parkinson's disease mostly | | | | incidence of the disease among women. There are |
| affects older people. But apart from that, what other | | | | two facts to support this view.The first is that |
| factors indicate higher chances of developing this | | | | women who have undergone hysterectomies have a |
| debilitating illness?Let's take age itself as the starting | | | | somewhat higher risk of developing Parkinson's |
| point, because there are some nuances that are not | | | | disease. Secondly, women who are on hormone |
| generally known. In line with popular perceptions, | | | | replacement therapies tend to have a lower incidence |
| about 90% of people with the illness are over 60 | | | | of the condition. These facts seem to imply that |
| years old.This is true even if you consider the age at | | | | estrogen does play a role in preventing |
| which the symptoms first appear. Not even 10% of | | | | Parkinson's.The illness also seems to progress faster |
| cases are diagnosed in adults under age 40. Most of | | | | in men than in women. In terms of symptoms, |
| the fresh diagnoses are in those above age | | | | women tend to be prone to disturbances in their gait, |
| 60.However, that's not the whole story.Among those | | | | while men are more at risk of tremors and |
| over 60, the risk goes up from age 60 to age 75. | | | | rigidity.Heredity appears to play a role in the disease. |
| After that, it drops sharply. In other words, someone | | | | Someone whose siblings who have developed |
| who is 85 years old is less likely to get Parkinson's | | | | Parkinson's disease before the age 40 is at greater |
| disease than someone who is 70, statistically | | | | risk of falling victim to the illness. However, if the |
| speaking. This may seem surprising to most | | | | siblings develop the disease only in later years, |
| people.Let's look at it from another angle. The above | | | | heredity does not seem to play a prominent |
| statistics apply to those who have been diagnosed | | | | role.There are differences among races in the |
| with the illness. If we take what is called Parkinsonism | | | | incidence of Parkinson's, so ethnicity does appear to |
| (meaning, symptoms of Parkinson's that have other | | | | play a role. Caucasians are at greater risk than Asian |
| causes, or symptoms that may develop into the | | | | Americans or African Americans. Some research |
| illness itself) into account, fully 15% of those | | | | indicates that although races other than Caucasians |
| between 60 and 75 have it. And between 75 and 84 | | | | have lower overall risk, they may carry a higher risk |
| years of age, an amazing 30% have the illness.At the | | | | of other types of Parkinsonism which involves |
| moment, around 3% of the population over age 65 is | | | | problems with the thinking process.Apart from the |
| affected by the disease. But this percentage is | | | | above, some evidence suggests that caffeine might |
| estimated to double over the next four decades.Age | | | | offer protection against this disease, to an extent. |
| obviously has an impact on the disease. What other | | | | Drinking coffee regularly, it seems, is a useful |
| factors exist?Gender is evidently another one. It is | | | | preventive measure.As can be seen, some factors |
| estimated that men have about twice as much risk | | | | do seem to create a higher risk of a person |
| of developing Parkinson's as women. This applies to | | | | developing Parkinson's disease. Researchers are |
| every age group.Researchers theorize that the | | | | digging deep for more clues that may one day lead |
| female hormone estrogen is responsible for the lower | | | | to a full understanding of this condition. |