Parkinson's disease progression is unique in each patient. In this video, Melissa Houser, MD, a neurologist at Scripps Health, explains why there's a different rate of progression for symptoms and how genetics might play a role.
That's what every patient always ask, I usually can put a time frame around it more accurately after I get to know the individual patient and when I'm giving a lecture on Parkinson's disease to a room of patients I say you all have the same disease but you all have a different disease because you all have different genetics and so it's really hard to predict how rapidly you'll progress until the doctors have a little bit of time to watch you, get to know you and see what your rate is.
But the other thing I say is if you're a slow progressor you're probably going to stay a slow progressor if you're rapid progressor that's probably going to be your baseline rate.
Melissa Houser, MD, is the clinical director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Center at Scripps Clinic in San Diego. She discusses research into causes and treatment of Parkinson’s disease, including stem cell research.
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