Women and Parkinson's Archives

Women and Parkinson's

Are older women with Parkinson’s disease left out of discussions?
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Women and Parkinson's

Kathleen Reardon on diagnosis and being heard by doctors
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Women and Parkinson's

Ingrid Roesner on speaking up with Parkinson’s disease
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“I am still a woman”

Are older women with Parkinson’s disease left out of discussions?

“Finding information about being a woman with Parkinson’s was challenging”

Kathleen Reardon on diagnosis and being heard by doctors

“It’s so important to be clear about how people can help you”

Ingrid Roesner on speaking up with Parkinson’s disease

International Women’s Day: “Everyone benefits from raising awareness”

Five powerful stories from the Parkinson’s disease community

“It’s essential to create a workplace where chronic illness is not taboo”

Cathy Molohan on the “balancing act” of work and Parkinson’s disease

“We do ourselves an injustice by just suffering through it”

Richelle Flanagan on connecting with the Parkinson’s disease community

An illustration of a woman looking in a mirror.

“Parkinson’s disease feels like an ally of sexism”

Teresa Borque on diagnosis, identity and learning to say ‘me first’

7 famous women with Parkinson’s

Can you name a well-known woman with Parkinson’s disease?

“Look at us – we are here”

To mark International Women’s Day, we share our campaign highlights

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“Helping women with Parkinson’s know they are not alone”

Francisca Ruiz González on making women with Parkinson’s visible

“Life isn’t easy”: how coronavirus is affecting women with Parkinson’s

Four women with Parkinson’s share their experience of lockdown

The women blazing the trail in Parkinson’s tech and innovation

Have you heard about these Parkinson’s technology inventions?

“Incompetence, racism and prejudice delayed my diagnosis”

Manon Day on being a young black woman with Parkinson’s

“Recognising gender difference is essential for Parkinson’s research”

The research gap, revealed by neurologist Marina Picillo

“We need to be having more conversations about menopause”

One woman’s story about the approach of menopause

Women and Parkinson’s: menstruation, medication and motherhood

Our podcast shines a light on how women experience the condition

Women and Parkinson’s: “Being pregnant was scary”

One woman’s poignant account of pregnancy and Parkinson’s

Women and Parkinson’s: “My medication only works three weeks out of four”

An honest account of menstruation, medication and symptoms

“We are not just variants of men”

Our new campaign centres the experiences of women with Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease genes activated in zebrafish exposed to aluminium

According to research on zebrafish in Naples, Italy, aluminium exposure may increase the activity of several genes associated with the development of Parkinson’s. The team investigated the impact of exposing zebrafish to aluminium for periods of 10, 15 or 20 days. Subsequent analyses revealed that effects in “cellular disorganisation” and swelling, brought on by the exposure, were highest after 10 or 15 days – and that around 10 Parkinson’s-related genes showed increased signs of activation. The researchers found that while fish exposed to aluminium showed signs of brain degeneration, brain tissue remained intact in the fish that were not exposed. When their results were published in the journal ‘Chemosphere’, the researchers noted that further investigation of the link between aluminium exposure and Parkinson’s is needed – but they wrote: “Overall, the data confirm the neurotoxicity induced by aluminium and shed a light on its involvement in neurodegenerative processes.”

Could wearable heart sensors help with diagnosing Parkinson’s disease?

Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) – that is, reduced time between heartbeats – has previously been associated with a greater risk of Parkinson’s. Now, researchers in Japan have suggested that using wearable sensors to measure this variability may help in diagnosing the condition at its early stages. As part of their study, the team analysed the heart rate variability of 27 people with Parkinson’s and 23 without the condition. The participants wore two heart rate sensors on their wrists for approximately 24 hours during a hospital stay. Results from the study showed that heart rate variability was “significantly decreased” in people with Parkinson’s, with the researchers reporting that the “assessment method was effective in detecting decreased HRV”. Noting the need for further research, the team wrote: “Our wearable sensor-based analysis should also be tested in subjects at the [early] stages” to determine the applicability for early diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

Co-existing conditions may impact how people with Parkinson’s disease perceive stigma

According to a study from the US, people with Parkinson’s who also live with certain co-existing conditions may experience greater perceived stigma and lower quality of life than those who do not. Published in the journal ‘General Psychiatry’, the study examined how conditions like thyroid disease, depression and anxiety impact perceptions of stigma and quality of life among people with Parkinson’s. The researchers surveyed 196 participants who had previously been part of the Boston University Online Survey Study of Parkinson’s Disease – a study exploring the experiences of those living with the condition. Of these participants, 79% reported having at least one co-existing condition. Whilst factors like education level and age at onset were identified as influencing factors, the researchers found a correlation between the total number of conditions and participants’ perceptions of stigma as well as poorer quality of life. The study described the findings as important for “care…

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“I am still a woman”

“Finding information about being a woman with Parkinson’s was challenging”

“It’s so important to be clear about how people can help you”