Reporting on Parkinson’s: information for journalists

We're here to provide journalists and other media professionals with the latest information about Parkinson's and guidance on communicating about the condition.

Parkinson's facts and stats

Parkinson's is on the rise. In the UK today, someone is diagnosed every 20 minutes. By 2050, the number of people with Parkinson's worldwide will double to 25 million.

In the UK, around 166,000 people have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. 

We're in the process of updating our prevalence and incidence statistics in a new study due for release in summer 2025.

Age 

Age is one of the biggest risk factors for Parkinson’s. While the majority of people living with Parkinson’s are older, it affects people of all ages. A diagnosis before the age of 50, is considered to be young-onset Parkinson’s. 

Gender

More men than women get Parkinson's. We don’t know why men are more likely to develop the condition than women, but it may be due to a combination of biological factors (such as hormones or genetics) and lifestyle factors (such as exposure to chemicals).

Writing and talking about Parkinson's

Based on feedback from the Parkinson's community, here are the preferred words and terms for talking about Parkinson's, and the ones to avoid. If you're unsure about any of this, please get in touch with our Media and PR team:

People living with Parkinson's:

  • When describing people living with Parkinson's, including family, friends and carers, use 'people living with Parkinson's', ‘people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones’ or ‘the Parkinson’s community’.
    • Avoid saying 'suffering', 'surviving', 'battling'. Also avoid 'victims' or 'sufferers'. 
    • Avoid saying ‘people affected by Parkinson’s’. The community have fed back that they find this term unclear.
  • When talking about retirement age adults with Parkinson's, use 'older people'. 
    • Avoid saying 'elderly people' or 'the elderly'.
  • You can use either 'working age' or 'younger people' to be clear that you're talking about pre-retirement age adults with Parkinson's
  • The phrases 'early onset' and, 'young onset' are used to describe people who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s before the age of 50. 
    • As it refers to the age of diagnosis not their current age, some people will continue to talk about having ‘young onset Parkinson’s’ for the rest of their life
  • Use 'disabled people'. Use 'disabled' or 'accessible', depending on the context. 
    • Never use 'people with disabilities' or 'handicapped'.

Parkinson's, symptoms and medication:

  • When talking about Parkinson's, always refer to it as simply 'Parkinson's' or a/the 'condition'. 
    • Avoid saying 'Parkinson's disease'.
  • When talking about symptoms, mention that there are more than 40 symptoms but Parkinson's affects everyone differently. Not everyone will experience all the symptoms.
  • Use 'tremor' when describing this motor symptom. 
    • Avoid saying 'shaking' or 'the shakes'.
  • Use 'Parkinson's medication' or 'Parkinson's drugs' when talking about Parkinson's drugs.
    • Avoid saying 'anti-parkinsonian medication'.

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