Brett Favre says he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after having issues with his right arm and hand. What to know about the condition's symptoms, causes and risk factors.
Korin Miller · Freelance health reporter
Updated Wed., September 25, 2024 at 11:09 AM EDT
NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The 54-year-old shared the news on Tuesday during a testimony at a congressional hearing on federal welfare reform.
The hearing was held to discuss guardrails for distributing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds, which distributed millions to Favre’s alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Prevacus, a drug company he backed that is no longer in existence.
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What causes Parkinson’s disease?
The exact cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown. However, there are a few risk factors linked with the development of the disease. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, those include:
Age. Most people develop the condition as they get older, with 60 being the average age of onset.
Gender. Men are more likely to develop the condition than women.
Genetics. Those with a parent or sibling with Parkinson’s disease are two times as likely to develop the condition.
Environmental causes. These include exposure to pesticides and herbicides; working with heavy metals, detergents and solvents; and being exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War era.
Can concussions raise your risk of Parkinson’s disease?
That’s not entirely clear at this point. Research has found a link between head trauma and the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. One study published in the journal Neurology found that even having a mild brain injury raised the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by up to 56%. Another study published in the journal Family Medicine and Community Health found that people who had experienced a concussion were 57% more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease.
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