Jewish Ledger
Could Israel hold the key to solving the Parkinson’s puzzle?
By Abigail Klein Leichman
It was in1917 that James Parkinson first described the syndrome now known as Parkinson’s disease – a complex, progressive neurological disorder affecting up to 10 million people. And it is fast growing in prevalence worldwide.
The disease is most often diagnosed in people over 60, more often males. Classic symptoms include tremor in about 60 percent of cases, rigidity, poor posture and slow movement.
But several decades before diagnosis, subtler symptoms like sleep disturbances and loss of smell often appear together with constipation and erectile dysfunction.