Singer Carly Simon has revealed that her Parkinson's disease was initially mistaken for arthritis, highlighting how the two conditions can share similar symptoms, particularly in the early stages."My health issues began with arthritis in both knees and one hip.I had all three joints replaced, and at first, I thought the difficulty I was having walking was simply part of the long recovery process," Simon said in a statement shared with multiple media outlets on July 27."Eventually, there were periods when I could not walk without considerable help.
My family and I knew that something more was going on.After an extensive evaluation at Mayo Clinic, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's."'YOU'RE SO VAIN' SINGER CARLY SIMON SAYS PARKINSON'S AND CANCER DIAGNOSES KEPT HER FROM PUBLIC EYEArthritis is far more common than Parkinson's disease, affecting nearly 60 million U.S.
adults compared with about 1.1 million Americans living with Parkinson's, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Even so, about 90,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, making it a relatively common neurological disorder despite being far less prevalent than arthritis.Singer Carly Simon (pictured in 2019) has revealed that her Parkinson's disease was initially mistaken for arthritis, highlighting how the two conditions can share similar symptoms, particularly in the early stages.(Getty Images)Arthritis primarily affects the joints and connective tissues, causing pain, inflammation, stiffness and structural damage, per the CDC.
The most common types are osteoarthritis (wear-and-tear of cartilage) and rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease).Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that mainly affects the brain and nervous system, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA).Dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain gradually die or become impaired, affecting movement.HOW EATING HABITS COULD INFLUENCE PARKINSON’S DISEASE RISK, AC...