What to know about Parkinson’s disease after Brett Favre’s announcement

More than a decade after retiring from football, Brett Favre says he has Parkinson’s disease. Favre told a congressional hearing Tuesday that he had been recently diagnosed. There are nearly 90,000 new Parkinson’s cases each year in the U.S. Parkinson’s is a neurologic disease that robs people of control over their movements. It typically starts with tremors, and is characterized by slow movement, a shuffling gait, stiff limbs, balance problems and slurred speech. Most experts believe genetic and environmental factors are behind the disease.