Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a chronic, degenerative disorder of the brain and spinal cord that impairs motor skills, speech and other functions. It usually affects people over the age of 50. The main symptoms are tremor or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw and face; rigidity or stiffness in the limbs and trunk; slowing of physical movement and impaired balance and coordination. Medication can relieve some of the symptoms but is not curative at present. Parkinson’s can be classified depending on the symptoms.

Classification of Parkinson's disease
Mild	Minimal localised tremor only i.e. confined to fingers, no rigidity, no or minimal progression and no treatment is required.
Moderate	More widespread tremor, slight rigidity, no or minimal disability, self-reliant, slow progression and a good response to treatment is shown.
Marked	Widespread tremor, moderate rigidity, greater disability but no reliance on others, slow progression, good response to treatment.
Severe	Intellectual deterioration, dementia, severe disability or rapid progression.