Introduction to PD
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder of the brain that results from a loss of cells that produce dopamine.
Parkinson’s disease affects over 1.5 million people in the United States. Symptoms usually appear when a person is older than 50. PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder among the elderly. (Alzheimer's is the most common.) About 10 to 20 percent of people develop PD before the age of 50, which is called "Young Onset" PD.
This section, "Introduction to PD," is the place to start if you are new to PD. This section provides:
- several general overviews of PD and focused resources for those with Young Onset PD
- various symptom trackers from major national PD organizations
- resources for newly diagnosed
- details about the services provided by Stanford Parkinson's Community Outreach and the Stanford APDA Information & Referral Center
- a list of major national PD organizations and a few others
- Spanish-language resources and Chinese-language resources
- a brief history of PD and a link to the seminal paper by James Parkinson.
Following are links to the major sections of the Stanford Parkinson's Community Outreach website:
