More than a decade after retiring from football, Brett Favre says he suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
Favre said at a congressional hearing on Tuesday that he was only recently diagnosed with the disease. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, there are nearly 90,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease in the United States each year.
Here are some questions and answers about the disease:
Parkinson’s is a neurological disorder in which sufferers lose control of their movements. It typically begins with tremors and is characterized by slow movements, a shuffling gait, stiff limbs, balance problems, and slurred speech.
About 1 million Americans and 10 million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson’s, the foundation estimates. The disease usually appears after age 60, but can sometimes develop before age 50.
The exact cause is unknown, but Parkinson’s develops when cells that produce one of the brain’s chemical messengers, dopamine, begin to degenerate and die. Dopamine carries signals to parts of the brain that control movement. Parkinson’s symptoms occur when so many dopamine-producing cells die that there is too little of this neurotransmitter in the brain.
According to the foundation, most experts believe genetic and environmental factors are behind the disease. Dozens of gene mutations linked to Parkinson’s have been discovered, and genetics account for 10% to 15% of all Parkinson’s cases, the group says. Other factors thought to increase risk include head injuries, exposure to pesticides and herbicides, and where you live. Favre said on a radio show in 2022 that he estimated he may have experienced “thousands” of concussions in his two decades in the NFL.
There is no cure, but there are treatment options, including medications that affect dopamine levels and a surgically implanted device to block tremors. Patients may also benefit from physical and occupational therapy.
Symptoms worsen over time, usually slowly. The severity of symptoms and how quickly they progress varies greatly from patient to patient. In advanced cases, sufferers may be unable to walk or care for themselves. They may also suffer from depression and memory and thinking problems.
Although Parkinson’s itself is not considered fatal, people can die from complications of the disease, including lung problems because muscle weakness affects coughing and swallowing.
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