Women with Parkinson’s Disease

Not unlike other female chronic disease experiences, women who have Parkinson’s Disease experience distinct differences in comparison to men;  1. the disease presentation, 2. the symptom severity and 3. the response to medications. In an interesting blog post written by Ronnie Todaro, MPH, several Women’s Parkinson’s Disease differences are highlighted as well as the lack of information and resources that women have available for managing their symptoms.

Initial evidence shows that: 1. men and women respond differently to medications, 2. women are often underrepresented in clinical trials and 3. few studies focus specifically on women. There is also evidence to suggest that women have a longer duration between symptom presentation and the time that they see a neurologist specializing in movement disorders. Women with PD have a tendency to become more depressed than men, though they may show less cognitive deficits. Women living with the disease may also have an increased loss of self image, as they often lose the ability to continue with their roles as mothers, wives, and daughters.

In order to meet the specific needs for women with Parkinson’s Disease, there has been an increased effort to launch the Women with Parkinson’s Disease Initiative.

For more information on the Women with Parkinson’s Disease initiative, visit www.pdf.org/womenpd. For the full blog article, visit http://blog.pdf.org/2015/10/15/where-can-women-with-parkinsons-turn/

Contact WWSPT for an evaluation and information on our certified Parkinson’s PWR Moves classes.