title: A comparison of clinical and pathological features of young- and old-onset Parkinson's disease.
abstract: We compared 46 patients having onset of Parkinson's disease before age 45 years with 52 having onset after age 70. Young-onset cases more often presented with muscular stiffness (43%) and old-onset with difficulty walking (33%). One-third of young-onset cases had off-period dystonia, mostly affecting the legs, but no dystonia was recorded in old-onset cases. Presentation with rest tremor occurred in 41% of young-onset and 63% of old-onset. There were no differences in the number of affected relatives, endocrine disease, personality characteristics, dementia, or dyskinesia. A pathological study of 12 young-onset and 22 old-onset cases showed 24% greater nigral cell loss in the young, but no differences in the basic Lewy body pathology. Median disease duration in young cases was 5 years longer in the clinical study and 12 years longer in the pathological study. These studies show that the Parkinson's disease process is similar in young- and old-onset cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Middlesex Hospital, London, England.
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Gibb
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lees
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010551:Personality; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007980:Levodopa