Parkinson's Disease in the Young

Parkinson’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease. Most frequently, it presents after the sixth decade of life. But rarely, we can see Parkinson’s disease in younger persons when it is least expected. These are most often hereditary cases of Parkinsons, although secondary causes have to be ruled out always when the disease appears in young people. That is because there are multiple conditions that can cause Parkinsonism, and often these are reversible with treatment. Other conditions that can cause Parkinsonian symptoms include drugs side-effects and certain types of strokes. The bottom line is that Parkinson’s disease comes in many forms and can sometimes appear when least expected. Here we discuss Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease or YOPD, one of the many forms of this common neurological disorder.