What Is Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that causes slow movements, tremors, and stiffness. Although this disease usually appears in people over 60, in some cases it can affect people in their 20’s, which is known as Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD).

The original definition of this disease only included adult males, but over time new groups were added. The first group consists of people whose symptoms are primarily tremors and includes young people. The second group is characterized by stiffness and cognitive deterioration, and usually presents itself in older patients.

The second group is more predominant, as it’s quite unusual for Parkinson’s to affect people younger than 40. The information provided by neurologist M. Yokochi show that only 10-18% of Parkinson’s cases occur in young people.

There are also different groups of Parkinson’s disease in young people: When the disease appears between 21 and 40 years old, it is called Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease, and when it appears before 21 it is known as Juvenile Parkinson’s. Juvenile Parkinson’s affects young adults and children and has a few differences from Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease.

As only a small amount of patients suffer from Parkinson’s in their youth, it is more difficult to make conclusions about this disease and distinctions between Juvenile Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s in adults. The main difference is that when this disease appears in younger patients, the alterations affect motor coordination more, while as an adult Parkinson’s affects cognitive abilities.

Regularly practicing cognitive stimulation programs may help slow the decline of motor skills and cognitive deterioration caused by Parkinson’s. This system has been scientifically proven and provides a personalized cognitive therapy to help stimulate the areas of the brain that are most affected in each user.