Does anyone know if you can die from Parkinson's Disease?

My grandfather just passed away and on the death certifcate said that he died from Parkinson's disease and everyone was puzzled about that because we have heard that you can't.

Yes, it is a degenerative disease that can kill you.

<from link below>

PD is not by itself a fatal disease, but it does get worse with time. The average life expectancy of a PD patient is generally lower than for people who do not have the disease.[64] In the late stages of the disease, PD may cause complications such as choking, pneumonia, and falls that can lead to death.

The progression of symptoms in PD may take 20 years or more. In some people, however, the disease progresses more quickly. There is no way to predict what course the disease will take for an individual person. With appropriate treatment, most people with PD can live productive lives for many years after diagnosis.

In at least some studies, it has been observed that mortality was significantly increased, and longevity decreased among nursing home patients as compared to community dwelling patients.

One commonly used system for describing how the symptoms of PD progress is called the Hoehn and Yahr scale. Another commonly used scale is the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). This much more complicated scale has multiple ratings that measure mental functioning, behavior, and mood; activities of daily living; and motor function. Both the Hoehn and Yahr scale and the UPDRS are used to measure how individuals are faring and how much treatments are helping them. It should be noted that neither scale is specific to Parkinson's disease; that patients with other illnesses can score in the Parkinson's range.

Please visit www.webmd.com and look up Parkinson's Disease. That maybe of some help to you. I'm sorry about the passing of your grandfather.

Parkinsons disease is a progressive neurological condition affecting, well.... pretty much all movement related activites.

With good medical treatment Parkinsons has a limited affect, if any, on life expectancy but it can be disabling. With quality medical care, support and a positive outlook, most people with Parkinsons can lead a productive life for many years after diagnosis.

So in conclusion, it wont affect the life expectancy, but it will have some pretty severe disabilitys that well decrease the value of life, so to speak.

Hope this helps.

umm yes it will kill you....i was a caretaker and had a patient who died from it...it causes dementia and muscle spasms until it kills you my grandfather also has it and is dyeing from it sorry to hear about your grandpa's passing

my condolences.....does tjhe death certificate say "secondary to
Parkinsons" Most of the time death is due to pneumonia
secondary to parkinsons or trauma, secondary to parkinsons.