from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Parkinson's \Parkinson's\, Parkinson's disease \Parkinson's
disease\prop. n.
A disease causing {parkinsonism}, a degenerative nervous
disorder; sometimes used loosely as a synonym for
parkinsonism. More precisely, parkinson's disease is the term
for the underlying physiological disorder and parkinsonism is
the term for the set of symptoms associated with the disease.
See {parkinsonism}.
Syn: paralysis agitans, Parkinsonism, Parkinson's disease
syndrome, shaking palsy.
[WordNet 1.5]
Parkinson's disease is the most common form of
parkinsonism, a group of disorders that are the
result of the loss of dopamine-producing brain
cells. --Mayo Clinic
(Report, 1999)
[PJC]
According to the National Parkinson's Foundation
(NPF), 1 million Americans -- including former
heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, U.S.
Attorney General Janet Reno, and television and
film star Michael J. Fox -- are affected by
Parkinson's disease. --Mayo Clinic
(Report, 1999)
[PJC]