GLASGOW, Scotland, September 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) announces the launch of its pan-European awareness campaign, Life with Parkinson's - Non-Motor Symptoms at the 2nd World Parkinson Congress in Glasgow.

Recent surveys have revealed that close to 90% of people with Parkinson's have at least one non-motor symptom, with about 25% having three non-motor symptoms.1 Non-motor symptoms are a major cause of morbidity in Parkinson's, yet are often under recognised.2

Susanna Lindvall, vice president of the EPDA, commented, The Life with Parkinson's - Non-Motor Symptoms campaign aims to strengthen understanding of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease among a wide range of audiences including people with Parkinson's, their families and friends, healthcare professionals and policy makers. We hope that the campaign will help improve recognition and understanding of these symptoms so that medical advice and treatment is sought as early as possible.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the brain which can affect people's movement, resulting in the well-recognised symptoms of tremor, stiffness, slowness of movement and impaired balance. An estimated four million people worldwide live with the disease, which usually affects people over the age of 60, however, more than 1 in 10 people with Parkinson's are diagnosed before the age of 50 years.3

Less well known, but of equal importance, are the symptoms that are not related to movement. These signs, referred to as 'non-motor symptoms', can include loss of sense of smell, depression, sleep problems, constipation, incontinence and pain. They can occur at any stage of the disease and many of them precede a formal diagnosis of Parkinson's by several years. These symptoms can come to dominate the condition as the disease progresses, having an enormous impact on quality of life.

Jo Collinge from the UK, diagnosed with Parkinson's 1 year ago, days before her 47th birthday, commented I was both perplexed and anxious when I first experienced non-motor symptoms. I was finding it difficult to cope with life in general and had sleeping difficulties before my motor symptoms started, I was unaware, at that stage, that they were related to Parkinson's disease. When I realised that they were related, I felt that all the pieces of the puzzle slotted together. A resource, such as the Life with Parkinson's - Non-Motor Symptoms campaign, would have helped both me and my family to understand what was happening and would have prompted me to seek medical help immediately.

Indeed, a recent survey of over 5,000 members of the general public from across Europe has highlighted why the Life with Parkinson's - Non-Motor Symptoms campaign is urgently needed. Supported by a grant from Teva Pharmaceuticals Limited and H. Lundbeck A/S, the results paint a troubling picture of the lack of knowledge and understanding of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's.

Results from the survey show that while 62% of people associate depression with Parkinson's, only 6% of people see this as a main concern. Depression is a prominent non-motor symptom of Parkinson's affecting 40-50% of people. 91% of the general public do not think that they would feel isolated with Parkinson's, despite the proven physical and psychological effects it has on relationships, independence and confidence.

Commenting on these results, Mary Baker MBE, EPDA patron, EFNA president and EBC vice president said The results from this survey highlights how little is understood about non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's. With the Life with Parkinson's - Non-Motor Symptoms campaign, the EPDA aims to fill knowledge gaps and help people recognise symptoms that may be a result of Parkinson's. It will help encourage those who are experiencing non-motor symptoms to see their physician in order to obtain an earlier diagnosis and, if appropriate, start treatment. The sooner symptoms are effectively managed, the less of an impact they will have on quality of life

For more information about this campaign please go to http://www.parkinsonsawareness.eu.com

1. Hinnell C, Chaudhuri KR. The Effect of Non-motor Symptoms on Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease. European Neurological Review 2009;4(2):29-33.

2. Zesiewicz TA, Sullivan KL, Arnulf I, Chaudhuri KR, Morgan JC, Gronseth GS, et al. Practice Parameter: treatment of nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson disease: report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology 2010;74(11):924-31.

3. EPDA. Global Declaration.

Notes to Editors

Further supporting materials

For further media resources, please visit our Social Media Release site: http://oursocialmedia.com/uk/epda-uk/epda-nms/

For broadcast-standard video supporting this press release, please visit http://www.thenewsmarket.com/Lundbeck. If you are a first-time user, please take a moment to register. In case you have any questions, please email journalisthelp@thenewsmarket.com.

To keep up to date about new developments around the awareness campaign, please join our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/theEPDA. Please also see myPDinfo (http://www.myPDinfo.com), an exciting online resource for people with Parkinson's, their family and carers. The webpage contains information about Parkinson's including disease background, medication guides and daily observation diaries.

Development of Non-Motor Symptoms has been supported by an unrestricted educational grant from H. Lundbeck A/S and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited.

European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) has 44 member organisations and is the advocate for the rights and needs of 1.2 million people with Parkinson's and their families in Europe. Its aim is to raise awareness to ensure that all people with Parkinson's and their families have access to the right management and the right treatment at the right time. Its vision it to enable a full life with Parkinson's while supporting the search for a cure. For further information on the work of the EPDA please visit http://www.epda.eu.com or contact: info@epda.eu.com.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. , headquartered in Israel, is among the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the world and is the leading generic pharmaceutical company. It develops, manufactures and markets generic and innovative human pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Over 80 percent of Teva's sales are in North America and Western Europe. Teva's innovative RD focuses on developing novel drugs for diseases of the central nervous system. For more information, please visit http://www.tevapharm.com.

H. Lundbeck A/S (LUN.CO, LUN DC, HLUKY) is an international pharmaceutical company highly committed to improving the quality of life for people suffering from central nervous system (CNS) disorders. For this purpose Lundbeck is engaged in the research and development, production, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals across the world, targeted at disorders like depression and anxiety, schizophrenia, insomnia, Huntington's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Lundbeck was founded in 1915 by Hans Lundbeck in Copenhagen, Denmark, and today employs over 5,500 people worldwide. Lundbeck is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies working with CNS disorders. In 2008, the company's revenue was DKK 11.3 billion (approximately EUR 1.5 billion or USD 2.2 billion). For more information, please visit http://www.lundbeck.com.

SOURCE: European ParkinsonSOURCE: ’s Disease Association (EPDA)

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