'You are not alone' - sufferers can be helped, at home and abroad

As many as 1,000 of those are thought to be in Cumbria.

For Professor Richard Walker, a consultant physician who is also Honorary Professor of Ageing and International Health at Newcastle University, understanding and treating this disease has been a huge part of his professional life.

He is the lead clinician for Northumbria's Parkinson's Disease Service but he also holds regular clinics for patients in west Cumbria.

The 64-year-old - a consultant since the early 1990s - explained that the disease results from a loss of the nerve cells that produce the chemical dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in several body functions, including memory, mood, and movement.

But what causes the reduction in dopamine production?

Experts believe the causes are probably a combination of genetic and environmental factors, though research is ongoing. The key symptoms of Parkinson's Disease include involuntary shaking, a slowing of movement and stiff and inflexible muscles.

“Once you’ve lost 70 per cent of your dopamine, you start to present with the features of Parkinson’s that people are familiar with,” says Professor Walker.

“Dopamine is a controller of movement. In Parkinson's, people can get this tremor, which they can override when they really concentrate on it. But if you ask them to do something else the tremor becomes much more obvious.”

Patients are usually devastated by a diagnosis, says Professor Walker. It’s a case of first delivering the bad news – that the diagnosis is confirmed.

“But then I give them the good news: that we can treat the symptoms," he says. "We can often make people much, much better than when they first present. And generally, in the UK we have pretty good Parkinson’s services.

“Most of my patients are wandering around, ‘free range’ and doing fine. We spend a lot more time with our complex patients who can develop lots of problems. They can get fidgety or get hallucinations, partly because of the drugs we give them.

“So, if that happens, we cut down the dose.” One of the key messages, says Professor Walker, is that most sufferers die “with” Parkinson’s and not "from" it.

Professor Walker is the director of Transforming Parkinson’s Care in Africa, a four-year research collaboration with fellow doctors in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia and Egypt.

Because there is a worldwide shortage of specialists in this field, as many as half of the people with Parkinson’s globally are undiagnosed.

The Professor says: “It’s about raising awareness, improving diagnosis, and making sure that people have access to affordable drug treatments.

“In the UK, that’s not a problem but in Africa it’s much more of a challenge.”

The Professor adds: “It’s rewarding work because this is a neurological condition you can actually do something about and it’s also fascinating. There are so many components to it. But there is so much you can do for people.”

For patients in the UK - and in Cumbria - an extra level of support comes via Parkinson's UK support groups.  “My dad had Parkinson’s,” explains Beryl Pryde, secretary of the West Cumbria branch.

“When he died, I happened to go to an AGM and they mentioned that the branch would probably close because there were only about six members at the time. So, I got involved. Now we have 368 people on our list.

“Not all of them have Parkinson’s.

“Over the years, even if somebody has died, often the widows and families still come along. Half of our number are carers – the wives and husbands. About 120 people with Parkinson’s.”

So what is the benefit of getting involved?

“It’s to be with other people who are facing the same or similar problem as you," says Beryl. "You can chat to somebody who knows what you’re going through; and we can signpost you to more help and getting your medication right.

“If one lot doesn’t suit you then you can try something else. The point is that, for people with Parkinson’s, everybody is different. It’s not like having a heart problem. There are so many different things that could be wrong with you.

“It takes time for people to come round and realise that it’s not the end. That’s why we’re here, raising awareness. There are people around who can help them.

“People can enjoy years of active life.

"We have a lot of younger people who are still in work. It’s a progressive disease, but it can be very slow. If you came to our group and looked at the people who come, you wouldn’t really know who had Parkinson’s and who hadn’t.

“There’s so much help around now.”

Speaking of her father's experience of Parkinson's, Beryl says: "He was a chief health inspector and he realised he had it when my mum asked him to stop shaking the newspaper paper - and he said 'I can’t.'

"But he got on with his life, and carried on doing the garden. He was at retirement age anyway. He was 87 when he died.

“Our branch has something on every day of the week, an activity, exercise, art, movement and music, tai chi, talks and there's a meeting and a lunch once a month and Wheyrigg Hall Hotel near Wigton. One of our aims to raise raise awareness - and to let people know that there are things available to help people.”

One of the best known persons living with the disease is Back to the Future actor Michael J. Fox, whose Foundation has poured more than $2 billion into research. 

Now aged 62, he was diagnosed with the disease when he was 29. He has become internationally recognised for his work campaigning to highlight the condition and raise money for research.

* For more information about Parkinson's, check out the Parkinson's UK website.

* For details of the charity's West Cumbria branch, click on the link, or alternatively you can call Beryl 01900 825058.

* The following link takes readers to the Michael J Fox Foundation website.