Stanford PD Community Blog

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Clusters of Parkinson’s disease cases seen in certain U.S. regions.

The annual incidence of Parkinson’s disease was 50% higher than previous estimates in data from five epidemiological cohorts in the U.S. and Canada.

The new incidence rate was nearly 90,000 cases annually for people 65 and older, reported Allison Willis, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and co-authors

Excerpt:  “In a new surge of research, scientists are now studying which exercises at what level of intensity provide the greatest gains. The goal is to design an exercise prescription — one that will probably include a mix of high-intensity aerobics and balance, strengthening and stretching exercises — that delay the disease’s onset or, ideally, prevent it altogether. They also want to better understand what exercise does to the brain of a person with Parkinson’s, as well as its effects on nonmotor functions such as mood and cognition. To be sure, exercise can’t cure Parkinson’s — there is no cure — but most researchers believe it can make a positive difference for most patients.”