The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Parkinson's \Parkinson's\, Parkinson's disease \Parkinson's
disease\prop. n.
A disease causing parkinsonism, a degenerative nervous
disorder; sometimes used loosely as a synonym for
parkinsonism. More precisely, parkinson's disease is the term
for the underlying physiological disorder and parkinsonism is
the term for the set of symptoms associated with the disease.
See parkinsonism.
Syn: paralysis agitans, Parkinsonism, Parkinson's disease
syndrome, shaking palsy.
[WordNet 1.5]
Parkinson's disease is the most common form of
parkinsonism, a group of disorders that are the
result of the loss of dopamine-producing brain
cells. --Mayo Clinic
(Report, 1999)
[PJC]
According to the National Parkinson's Foundation
(NPF), 1 million Americans -- including former
heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, U.S.
Attorney General Janet Reno, and television and
film star Michael J. Fox -- are affected by
Parkinson's disease. --Mayo Clinic
(Report, 1999)
[PJC]