4月11日是“世界帕金森氏症日”。 帕金森氏症是一种严重的精神障碍性疾病，多见于老年人群，通常无法痊愈。在中国，55岁以上帕金森氏症患者超过两百万，此症在60岁以上人群中的发病率约为百分之一。随着中国社会老龄人口的增长，帕金森氏症患者也在持续增多。

帕金森氏症会影响到人体的移动，说话及其他功能，发病的典型症状有肌肉僵硬，不自主的抖动以及行动缓慢。目前为止，病因尚未查明，可能诱发该病的原因包括基因问题，毒素，头部创伤等等。这是一种慢性的循序渐进的疾病，专家们声称，如果能在发病早期被诊断出来，一些症状甚至能通过外科手术加以治疗。

Saturday was World Parkinson's Disease Day. This severe neurological disorder usually affects elderly people, but often goes untreated. Experts stress the importance of an early diagnosis of this progressive disease, which threatens the ever-increasing aged population in China.

Parkinson's disease, or PD, affects over 2-million Chinese who are above the age of 55. And one out of a hundred of people in their 60's have PD. And with China's aging population, the number is continually growing.

PD is a degenerative disease of the brain that often impairs movement, speech, and other functions. It is characterized by muscle rigidity, tremors, and a slowing of physical movement.

Li Yongjie, Functional Neurosurgeon of Beijing Xuanwu Hospital, said, "The specific cause of PD is still unknown. But there are many possible factors including genetics, toxins, head trauma, and so on. But the disease may also be caused by the combined effect of these factors."

Experts point out that PD is a chronic and progressive disease. The symptoms develop gradually from hardly noticeable to extremely crippling.

According to a recent survey of over one thousand patients in big cities across China, more than half of PD sufferers only went to the hospital after their symptoms affected their lives. Nearly 80 percent of the patients were completely unaware of the disease before they were hospitalized.

Li Yongjie said, "Most people believe tremors are the only symptom of PD. The fact is that two out of three patients with PD do not tremble at all."

Medical experts want people to know that many symptoms of PD can be controlled by drugs now. If the disease is diagnosed at an early stage, some symptoms can even be treated with surgery.