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What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s is a disease that affects a person’s nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves). This is the part of the body that helps a person move, think and feel. It also regulates ‘automatic’ bodily processes that we do not have to think about, like digestion.

Parkinson’s is a progressive disease, meaning that it gets worse over time. The brain becomes more damaged over the years, making it increasingly difficult to do everyday activities without help.

Diagnosing Parkinson’s disease

There are currently no blood or laboratory tests to diagnose Parkinson’s disease. Instead, a doctor will base a diagnosis on a physical examination and taking a detailed medical history. 

Men are slightly more likely than women to get Parkinson’s disease, though it is not known why. The NHS says most people with Parkinson’s start to develop symptoms when they are over 50, but some people can first experience symptoms before the age of 40.The Alzheimer’s Society notes that “around a third of people with Parkinson’s eventually develop dementia”, adding that the “disease that causes Parkinson’s is very similar to the one that causes dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)”.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease

The Mayo Clinic in the USA notes that symptoms of Parkinson’s can start slowly and may even be unnoticeable, such as a small tremor in a hand or foot.

Other symptoms can include stiffness and inflexible muscles, slower movement (such as finding it hard to get out of a chair), problems with balance, a loss of automatic movements like blinking and smiling, and speech changes. The latter can include slurring, hesitating before talking and / or speech becoming flat and monotone.

The NHS explains that a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms can accompany Parkinson’s. The particular symptoms, and their progression, will vary from person to person, though they will typically begin on one side of the body before moving to both sides.

Parkinson’s disease does not cause death directly, but it can make people more vulnerable to serious (and life-threatening) infections due to the great strain it places on the body.

Treatments

There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease but there are treatments to help manage and relieve symptoms. These include:

  • supportive treatments;
  • medication;
  • in some cases, brain surgery (known as deep brain simulation surgically implanting a pulse generator into the chest wall, stimulating the part of the brain affected by Parkinson’s which can ease symptoms for some).

More information can be found at:

According to the NHS, advances in treatment for Parkinson’s means that most people with Parkinson’s disease now have a normal or near-normal life expectancy. Treatment may also not be needed during the early stages of the disease when symptoms can be mild.

Specialised healthcare – supportive treatments

Supportive treatments can be used to help people with Parkinson’s to better manage their symptoms and maintain their independence in day-to-day activities.

The NHS highlights the use of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and dietetics to support people with Parkinson’s:

  • Physiotherapy utilises physical techniques, such as exercise, massage and manual therapy, to improve movement and function and ease pain.
  • Occupational therapy is used to help people maintain and develop their independence by improving their ability to carry out daily activities through practical solutions.
  • Speech and language therapy provides treatment, support and care for people experiencing difficulties with communication or eating, drinking and swallowing.
  • Dieticians utilise scientific research to assess and treat dietary and nutritional issues.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2017 guidelines for Parkinson’s disease in adults recommend that referral to each of these specialisms should be considered for adults with Parkinson’s (section 1.7).

Research

Funding for medical research

Medical research in the UK is funded by both the public and private sector, as well as by charities and non-governmental organisations.  

Data on overall public and third sector funding for clinical research is collated by the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC). The latest report from the UKCRC shows that public sector and third sector bodies spent a total of £247.9 million on ‘neurological’ research in 2022, across 1,873 individual research projects. The UKCRC report does not include information about industry-funded clinical research due a lack of publicly available data. 

UKCRC’s ‘neurological’ research category “refers to research conducted directly on the nervous system and the brain – the wiring – which includes neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Dementias”. Its breakdown of spend by funding organisation shows that, in 2022, the charities Parkinson’s UK and Cure Parkinson’s spent £2 million and £0.6 million respectively on research. 

In March 2025, the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) announced a collaboration with Parkinson’s UK to “establish a new £10m research centre dedicated to better understanding the causes of Parkinson’s and finding new treatments to prevent, halt, and ultimately find cures for the condition”. The UK DRI and Parkinson’s UK will each invest £5 million over five years to progress research in Parkinson’s.

Government funding

Government funding for medical research is typically channelled through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR – which is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care) and through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI – whose funding comes mainly via the science budget of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology). UKRI is the UK’s national funding agency which brings together the seven research councils, Innovate UK and Research England. 

In response to a Parliamentary Question (PQ) in December 2024, the government said that it had spent “a total of £79.06 million on research into Parkinson’s disease between the financial years 2019/20 and 2023/24”. It also added that the NIHR invests in infrastructure that supports research into Parkinson’s.

Examples of research projects funded by the NIHR on Parkinson’s can be viewed via its search tool. 

Guidelines and policy

In response to a PQ on 5 March 2025, Ashley Dalton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention, stated that after diagnosis “most people with Parkinson’s can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care”, and that NHS England commissions specialised care through 27 neurology centres in England. Ashley Dalton also outlined initiatives in England that work to support those with Parkinson’s:

On 7 March 2025, Karin Smyth, Minister of State for Health (Secondary Care), responded to a PQ on medication and access to treatment for Parkinson’s disease. The response highlighted that the responsibility for prescribing decisions falls to clinicians, who should consider national guidance on clinical and cost effectiveness, and signposted to the NICE guidance Parkinson’s disease in adults and quality standard for Parkinson’s disease.

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