Is Parkinson disease a genetic disease?

Whilst I recognise that you only asked if this disease is hereditary, these details are somewhat pertinent to the answer:-Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition affecting movements such as walking, swallowing and writing. There is a loss of nerve cells in the part of the brain known as the substantia nigra. These cells are responsible for producing a chemical known as dopamine, which allows messages to be sent to the parts of the brain that co-ordinate movement. With the depletion of dopamine-producing cells, these parts of the brain are unable to function normally. When about 80 percent of the dopamine has been lost, the symptoms of Parkinson's appear and the level of dopamine will continue to fall slowly over many years. The reason why the loss of dopamine occurs in the brains of people with Parkinson's is currently unknown. Most researchers believe it is likely that many factors play a role in causing Parkinson's. Areas of research into the cause include genetics and environmental factors While the majority of cases of Parkinson鈥檚 are not thought by researchers to be directly inherited, a number of defective genes which have been associated with the rare inherited or familial form of Parkinson鈥檚 have been identified. Nine genes have been linked to the rare inherited form of Parkinson鈥檚. In addition, there may be a genetic factor that makes people more susceptible to the non-inherited form of Parkinson鈥檚. Research will also help to understand which factors are involved in the formation, survival and death of dopamine-producing neurons.
I add this link which discusses the disease:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Parkinson's_disease


Hope this helps
Matador 89

Glad to be of help
m.89 Report It

It tends to be...there is a strong familial link, usually in the male side of the family.

YES

Can be. Although there are many theories about the cause of Parkinson's disease, none has ever been proved. Researchers have reported families with apparently inherited Parkinson's for more than a century. However, until recently, the prevailing theory held that one or more environmental factors caused the disease. Severe Parkinson's-like symptoms have been described in people who took an illegal drug contaminated with the chemical MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyr... and in people who contracted a particularly severe form of influenza during an epidemic in the early 1900s. Recent studies of twins and families with Parkinson's have suggested that some people have an inherited susceptibility to the disease that may be influenced by environmental factors. The strong familial inheritance of the chromosome 4 gene is the first evidence that a gene alteration alone may lead to Parkinson's disease in some people.

This question seems to have a "Yes and No" answer. "Roughly one-fifth of Parkinson's disease patients have at least one relative with parkinsonian symptoms, suggesting that a genetic factor may be involved. Several genes that cause symptoms in younger patients have been identified. Most researchers believe, however, that most cases are not caused by genetic factors alone." There are some good sites with Parkinson's info including http://www.neurologychannel.com/parkinso...

Yes
Parkin gene
Synuclein gene have been identified