The question is bound to come up: “Does Parkinson’s disease run in the family?” When I was diagnosed, I thought for sure I had multiple sclerosis because my mother has the disease. I was quite shocked to learn otherwise!
But, after thinking about it awhile, I realized that my great uncle had Parkinson’s and I vaguely remember seeing him struggle with the disease. I was very young when he was diagnosed and I had totally forgotten someone in my family had the disease.
Researchers have found that Parkinson’s isn’t an hereditary disease. In other words, PD isn’t passed from parent to child as a rule, but the chance, however slight, may exist. In fact, “It has been estimated that all currently known genetic causes of PD account for less than 5 percent of PD cases.”
There is a higher chance that Parkinson’s may be passed through the generations by way of the extended family. In other words, it’s possible for a cousin, aunt, or in my case, great uncle, to have the disease and pass it on.
Still, some people may like to have genetic testing to confirm familial PD. However, genetic testing is not available for Parkinson’s disease. Why? The genetic causes of PD are extremely rare. The best a scientist or doctor could do is to identify genetic abnormalities. ”Whether a test is positive or negative is not always particularly helpful for patients or their doctors, as even when an abnormal gene is found, the chances of going on to develop Parkinson’s disease are very low.” So people with PD who are concerned about passing the condition on can breathe easier.