Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills and speech.
Parkinson's disease belongs to a group of conditions called movement disorders. It is characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor, a slowing of physical movement and, in extreme cases, a loss of physical movement.
Estimated prevalence rates of depression vary widely according to the population sampled and methodology used. Reviews of depression estimate its occurrence in anywhere from 20-80% of cases.
There are currently no blood or laboratory tests that have been proven to help in diagnosing PD. Therefore the diagnosis is based on medical history and a neurological examination.
The disease can be difficult to diagnose accurately. Early signs and symptoms of PD may sometimes be dismissed as the effects of normal aging.
Parkinson's disease is a chronic disorder that requires broad-based management including patient and family education, support group services, general wellness maintenance, physiotherapy, exercise, and nutrition. At present, there is no cure for PD, but medications or surgery can provide relief from the symptoms.
List of Famous People with Parkinson's Disease:
Michael J. Fox - (born Michael Andrew Fox on June 9, 1961) is a Canadian/American film and television actor. His best known roles include Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy, Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties, and Mike Flaherty from Spin City. Fox was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Fox co-starred in the Canadian television series Leo and Me at age fifteen and in 1979, at eighteen, moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991, and disclosed his condition to the public in 1998. As the symptoms of his disease worsened, he retired from full-time acting in 2000. At present, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but medications provide some relief from the symptoms.
Adolf Hitler - (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was a German politician, who became the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party and was appointed as the Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, the fourth child of six. As a boy, Hitler said he was often whipped by his father. Years later he told his secretary, "I then resolved never again to cry when my father whipped me. A few days later I had the opportunity of putting my will to the test. My mother, frightened, took refuge in the front of the door. As for me, I counted silently the blows of the stick which lashed my rear end." Hitler's health has long been the subject of debate. He has variously been said to have suffered from irritable bowel syndrome, skin lesions, irregular heartbeat, Parkinson's disease, syphilis, and a strongly suggested addiction to methamphetamine. One film exists that shows his left hand trembling, which might suggest Parkinson's. Beyond that, the evidence is sparse.
Muhammad Ali - (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942) Muhammad Ali was one of America's favorite boxers of all times. He was not only a great boxer but a source of inspiration, especially when it came to his quotes. He was fast, intelligent, kind, strong and he could take a good punch. He was admired by many because of his strong character and unique personality, he had a strength that not many have. Muhammad Ali never let any obstacles come in his way and did not believe that he could be defeated.
Roger Caron - Roger "Mad Dog" Caron - (born April 12, 1938 in Cornwall, Ontario) Roger Caron is a Canadian bank robber and author of the 1978 prison memoir Go-Boy! Memories of a life behind bars. When it was published Roger was 39 years old and had spent 23 years in prison. Caron successfully broke out of 13 prisons and jails in his lifetime, more than any other criminal in Canadian history. During all of his life Caron had witnessed criminal activity, at a young age his father was into bootlegging and after a few raids from local police he bribed a police officer so that he could know when a raid was going to be under way. His father's fights with the police and his criminal activity was all done in front of Caron, which is where Caron learned what was "good" and "bad". His book "Go-Boy!" is titled from what Caron's inmates would shout as he would escape the jails and prisons.
Anna Neagle - (born October 20, 1904; died June 3, 1986) Anna Neagle was a popular motion picture actress and singer well known for her beauty and portrayals of real life British heroines. Anna loved to act so much that even when she was greatly successful in films she still continued to perform on stages. Eventually her acts and performances in Britain had awakened interest directly from Hollywood, she then moved to America to perform her first American film "Nurse Edith Cavell". At an older age Anna suffered from Parkinson disease.
Francisco Franco - (4 December 1892 - November 20, 1975) Franco led a successful military career and reached the rank of General. He fought in Morocco and suppressed a strike in 1934 to defend the Republican government's stability. He eventually became the government through dictatorship. During the Second World War, Franco maintained a policy of neutrality, although he did assist Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a small scale against the Soviet Union, most famously by sending troops (known as the Blue Division) to aid Nazi Germany in fighting the USSR.
James Doohan - James Montgomery Doohan (March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian character and voice actor best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series Star Trek. Following his success with Star Trek, he supplemented his income and showed continued support for his fans by making numerous public appearances. In addition to playing Scotty, he also did many guest voices on Star Trek including: Sargon in "Return to Tomorrow" The M-5 in "The Ultimate Computer" and the Oracle in "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky". Doohan suffered from Parkinson's disease, diabetes mellitus, and pulmonary fibrosis in later life. In 2004, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Jim Backus - American actor James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913—July 3, 1989) was a radio, television, film actor, character actor, and voice actor. Among his most famous roles are the voice of Mr. Magoo, the rich Hubert Updike, III, of the Alan Young radio show, Joan Davis' husband on TV's I Married Joan, James Dean's father in Rebel Without a Cause, and Thurston Howell, III, on the 1960s hit sitcom Gilligan's Island. Backus and his wife, Henny Backus, co-wrote several humorous books, including Only When I Laugh. He also co-wrote the 1971 family film Mooch Goes to Hollywood, about a dog who tries to become a movie star. On July 3, 1989, Backus died in Los Angeles, California from complications of pneumonia, after suffering from Parkinson's disease for many years.
Albert J Whitlock - (September 15, 1915 in London – October 26, 1999 in Santa Barbara, California) was an English motion picture matte artist best known for his work with Disney and Universal Studios. Whitlock began working as a matte artist during World War II. Recruited by Walt Disney, who was an admirer of his work, he would relocate to the U.S. in the early 1950s. In addition to his film work, Whitlock is famous among Star Trek fans for the matte painting used to establish the huge exterior of the Delta Vega lithium cracking station in Star Trek (1966). The painting was later modified and reused as the Tantalus penal colony from the Star Trek episode "Dagger of the Mind". His work as a painter was cut short when he developed Parkinson's Disease.
Deborah Kerr - Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer, CBE (30 September 1921 – 16 October 2007) was a Scottish actress. She won the Sarah Siddons Award for her Chicago performance in Tea and Sympathy, which she originated on Broadway, a Golden Globe Award for the motion picture, The King and I, and she was also the recipient of honorary Academy, BAFTA and Cannes Film Festival awards. Her debut was in the British film Contraband in 1940 but her scenes were left on the cutting room floor. She followed that with a series of other films, including Hatter's Castle (1942), in which she starred opposite Robert Newton and James Mason. Kerr was the patron of the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (NSCA) from 1992 until her death from the effects of Parkinson's disease on October 16, 2007 at the age of 86.
Mao Zedong - (1893-1976) Chinese military and political leader, who led the Communist Party of China (CPC) to victory against the Kuomintang (KMT) in the Chinese Civil War, and was the leader of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. Regarded as one of the most important figures in modern world history, Mao is still a controversial figure today, over thirty years after his death. He died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known in the U.S as Lou Gehrig's Disease and elsewhere as Motor Neurone Disease. Mao had been in poor health for several years and had declined visibly for some months prior to his death.
Mary Jackson - American actress (November 22, 1910 - December 10, 2005) was an American actress. She is best known for the role of the lovelorn "Miss Emily Baldwin" in The Waltons and was the original choice to play "Alice Horton" in The Days of Our Lives. Mary Jackson is survived by her husband of 68 years, Griffin Bancroft Jr., to whom she was married from July 4, 1937 until her death from Parkinson's disease at age 95 in Los Angeles. They had no children.
Chester Himes - (July 29, 1909 – November 12, 1984) Chester was born in Jefferson City, Missouri and lived in middle class homes in both his city of birth and Ohio. His parents were both in the education system, his father being a peripatetic black college professor of industrial trade, and his mother a teacher. Chester's parents did not have an idea relationship and it leaded to divorce. Later on Chester got expelled from school for a prank and later got arrested for armed robbery a few years later. Even through all these painful events Chester mad it out in one piece and maintained a clear mind, although then filled with hatred he continued to write books and kept fighting against racism in America.
Ba Jin - (November 25, 1904 – October 17, 2005) Li Yaotang was a Chinese writer and was known under the name of Ba Jin. He eventually joined an Anarchist organization and became it's most prominent member. He fought for equality and actively distributed propaganda leaflets whenever he found spare time. Being an Anarchist he has written many books such as Chicago Anarchist Martyrs and Dead Sun. Ba Jin was able to speak Chinese, English, Esperanto and a little bit of French. He maintained his activism within the Anarchist organization for many years and confronted many decisions that were taken before the war.
Joe Cook - (7 December 1860 – 30 July 1947) Joe Cook was a politician and Prime Minister of Australia at first working in mines from the age of nine in the city he was born. With no formal education he then became founder of the Australian Labor party in 1891 also active in the Single Tax League. Cook was part of the Australian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference where he defended the White Australia Policy and supported Australia's annexation of German New Guinea, in which he became the treasurer.
George Roy Hill - (December 20, 1921 – December 27, 2002) Working his way to the top George Roy Hill eventually made it on Broadway through writing and acting. For a time Hill was the only director to have made 2 of the top 10 moneymaking movies. The 1964 Peter Sellers movie The World of Henry Orient raised Hill's profile in Hollywood, but his 1966 blockbuster Hawaii was a setback. Although with time he regained his fame with more successful productions. George eventually died in his home of complications from the Parkinson's disease.
George Wallace - - (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) George was a United States politician, being elected four times as Alabama's governor and eventually attempting four times for United States presidency. George nearly died of spinal meningitis while in service but was saved by immediate medical attention. The process left him with partial hearing loss and nerve damage. Later on Wallace lost the ability to walk due to an assassination attempt and also suffered from Parkinson.
Vincent Price - (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) Vincent Price was a competent American actor, although he suffered from Parkinson and lung cancer due to being a life long smoker. Price had to retire from several productions because of his health problems, which were becoming more apparent on scene. With time Vincent was well known not only for his roles in films, but the donation of collectable pieces to a community college which now is call the Vincent Price art gallery, containing 2000 pieces with an estimated worth of 5 million dollars.
Luis Marden - (January 25, 1913 – March 3, 2003) Luis Marden was an American explorer, writer, photographer, filmmaker, diver, linguist and navigator working for the National Geographic Magazine. He eventually became chief of the editorial staff, having written over 60 articles for the magazine. He excelled in photography whether it was on land or underwater, and has made many scientific discoveries. Luis has gone to the edges of the globe to be able to finish some of the longer articles he has written.
John Lindsay - (November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) John Lindsay was an american politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. During World War II John joined the United States naval reserves obtaining the rank of Lieutenant. Eventually going towards politics and getting elected as a republican in the congress. He was well known for preventing racial riots by frequently taking un-escorted walks through ghetto neighborhoods, to urge the residents to keep calm.
Barney Childs - (1909-2000) American composer and teacher
Basil D'Oliveira - South African cricketer (1931-)
Booth Gardner - Washington state governor (1936-)
Boyi Bhimanna - Telugu poet (1911-2005)
Brockman Adams - American politician (1927-2004)
Carlos Antonio Gomes - Portuguese footballer (1932-2005)
Deng Xiaoping - Chinese politician (1904-1997)
Edward Winter - American actor (1937-2001)
Enoch Powell - British politician (1912-1998)
Eugene McCarthy - (1916-2005) American politician
Farnsworth Wright - American editor (1888-1940) Ferdy Mayne - German actor (1916-1998)
George Coulouris - British actor (1903-1989)
Giulio Natta - Italian chemist (1903-1979)
Guy Kibbee - American actor (1882-1956)
Hans Ras - Dutch academic (1926-2003)
Harry Dalton - (1928-2005) American baseball executive
Jack Anderson - US newspaper columnist (1922-2005)
Jack Buck - American sportscaster (1924-2002)
Jeffrey Hamm - (1915-1994) British Fascist
Jimmy Knepper - American jazz trombonist (1927-2003)
Joe Pasternak - (1901-1991) American film director
Joseph M. McDade - former Congressman from NE Pennsylvania
Kenneth More - English actor (1914-1982)
Lane Evans - Member of the US House of Representatives (D - IL) (1951-)
Leonid Shamkovich - USSR Chess grandmaster (1923-2005)
Margaret Bourke-White - American photographer (1904-1971)
Meldrim Thomson Jr. - (1912-2001) Republican Governor of New Hampshire
Mervyn Peake - British author (1911-1968)
Mo Udall - Member of the US House of Representatives (1922-1998)
Nathan Heard - American novelist (1937-2004)
Norman Panama - American writer - producer and director (1914-2003)
Owen Chamberlain - American physicist (1920-2006)
Pauline Kael - American film critic (1919-2001)
Pierre Elliott Trudeau - Canadian politician (1919-2000)
Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) - Polish cleric - pope of Roman Catholic Church
Prince Claus - (1926-2002) - husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Salvador Dalí - Spanish artist (1904-1989)
Sir Alec Issigonis (1906-1988) British car designer
Sir John Betjeman - KBE - British Poet Laureate (1906-1984)
Sir Michael Redgrave - British actor (1908-1985)
Steve Alten - American author
Ted Kroll - American golfer (1919–2002)
Terry-Thomas - British character actor (1911-1990)
Tim Wall - Australian cricketer (1904-1981)
Walter Lord (1917-2002) American author
Walter Sisulu - South African freedom fighter (1912-2003)
Whit Bissell (1909-1996) American character actor
William Everson (1912-1994) - American poet
William Masters - American sex researcher (1915-2001)
NOTE: Disabled World has assembled this list from both online and offline resources. If you know of a discrepancy in this article please contact us so we can ammend the entry.
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