ROCHESTER,
Minn.,
A
Mayo Clinic study finds parkinsonism, a group of ailments that
includes Parkinson's disease, is three times more common than
previously thought and men are more likely to develop it than
women.
The
study, published Tuesday in the journal Neurology, found the lifetime
risk of developing parkinsonism is 7.5 percent, three times higher
than previously thought.
Dr.
James Bower, the chief Mayo investigator, said the study ''will
help us understand the causes of the illness and the effect it
will have on our society.''
Bower
said it was known Parkinson's is the most common cause of parkinsonism,
but researchers found Parkinson's itself accounts for only 42
percent of all cases.
In
every age group, men are twice as likely to develop parkinsonism
as women. Bower said that ''may be a hint that hormonal factors
protect women.''
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