Parkinson’s Disease in Children and Young Adults

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. 

Guest: Rodolfo Savica, M.D., Ph.D. 

We commonly see Parkinson’s Disease in our older patients, but have you ever seen it present in a child or young adult? It can happen. Whereas Parkinson’s Disease in an older patient is likely to be idiopathic, we need to consider genetic conditions as well as secondary causes when it occurs in younger individuals. It’s important for primary care clinicians to recognize young patients with symptoms of Parkinson’s in order to rule out other potentially treatable conditions. Does Parkinson’s present any differently in children or young adults? How fast does it typically progress? Is the management of a child or young adult different? These are some of the questions I’ll be asking my guest, Dr. Rodolfo Savica a neurologist from the Department of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic as we discuss “Parkinson’s Disease in Children and Young Adults”. 

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