Parkinson's disease (other name: "shaking palsy") is a gradually progressive neurological disorder. It is mainly characterised by dysfunctional mobility and malfunctions in the course of movement and is predominantly a disease of old age. The disease is usually first noticed between the age of 50 and 60 - only around 10% of patients are younger than 40 when they are diagnosed with Parkinson's and its frequency increases with age. From a demographic viewpoint, the disease affects between 100 and 200 people in every 100,000. Around 1 person in every 100 over the age of 60 is afflicted.

Many indicators suggest that there are a number of causal factors that play a role in the development of Parkinson's disease. However despite certain indicators, in the vast majority of patients the exact cause remains unclear.