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The disease affects people from all walks of life. On average, it affects one person in every 1,000 of the population, but for people in their seventies and eighties that rises to at least two people in every 100. People as young as 20 have developed Parkinson’s disease, but this is uncommon. It is one of the most common neurological conditions affecting older people, and over 100,000 people in the UK have the disease at any one time.

Men and women are affected equally, but the disease is more common in Caucasian people than in people of Asian or African origin. People of different races tend to develop slightly different symptoms. For example, Caucasian people are more likely to complain of tremor, whereas people of African- Caribbean origin describe stiffness as the main problem. Researchers are at present trying to discover why people from different races experience different symptoms.

Although common in older people, Parkinson’s disease is sometimes overlooked by doctors as the signs and symptoms may be wrongly put down to old age. When this occurs it is unfortunate since the available medicines can help people of all ages.