How Young Can You Have Parkinson's Disease?

Most people term Parkinson’s an “old person's disease." I think that is why people are so surprised when neurologists across the country are diagnosing patients with young-onset Parkinson’s disease.

The usual ailments that come to mind are the tremors, difficulty standing, rigidity, and the blank stare. Seeing a senior citizen deal with these symptoms has become what some believe to be the look of “old age.” That’s why young-onset Parkinson’s disease is such a surprise diagnosis. Diseases and symptoms typical of older age are occurring in patients as young as 20 years of age. Seeing young men and women experiencing the same difficulties as their older counterparts forces us all to change the way we think of Parkinson’s.

The only difference between young-onset and ‘regular’ Parkinson’s disease is the average age of diagnosis. Most Parkinson’s patient diagnoses fall within the age range of mid fifties and older. Over time we have grown used to that older face of Parkinson’s.

How Young is Young?
So, how young is someone diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s? There are rare cases of older teenagers, and there are some people in their 20s who have been diagnosed with early-onset PD.  But early-onset usually strikes in people's 40s to early 50s.

There is also speculation that Parkinson’s—especially young-onset—may be a result of people exposed to certain toxins. For example, I grew up in southeast Texas where oil refineries were rampant and the stench of the fumes was constant. This may be the reason I developed Parkinson’s. It may also be genetic because both my great uncle and cousin also have Parkinson’s.

There are several hypotheses for the cause of Parkinson’s. The bottom line is, it doesn’t really matter how I or anyone else developed Parkinson’s, and it doesn’t matter if you are young or old. What really matters is how you choose to live your life.