Movement Disorders: Impact and Access to Treatment
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Movement disorders are neurological conditions that cause involuntary or abnormal voluntary body movements, or slow, reduced movements. They afflict millions of people—patients themselves, and also families, caregivers, communities, the health care system, and the economy.
Many conditions fall under the umbrella of movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, tardive dyskinesia, Huntington’s disease, dystonia, essential tremor, Tourette syndrome, ataxia, restless legs syndrome, and others. Causes of various movement disorders range from nerve diseases (the cause of Parkinson’s) to injuries, autoimmune diseases, infections, and certain medications. Some are genetic disorders, passed on from one generation to the next.