Michael J. Fox Has Parkinson's

Michael J. Fox is adored by movie and sitcom audiences as an endearing wise guy. Wednesday it became known Fox has Parkinson's disease. CBS News Correspondent Harry Smith reports.

It is rare that Parkinson's disease strikes someone so young and vital. Fox is only 37 years old.

"It's very uncommon to get Parkinson's disease below the age of 40 but it's not unheard of," said Neurologist Dr. Stanley Fahn, about 11 percent of our patients had onset before the age of 40."

Parkinson's is a degenerative brain disease which usually occurs in the elderly. It causes muscle tremors and brutally debilitates movement.

Fox, who was diagnosed seven years ago, underwent brain surgery last March to alleviate his most severe symptoms.

"I would suspect the reason he [Fox] had surgery early is he wanted to get that tremor under control," said Dr. Fahn.

It was

Medications for Parkinson's can help early sufferers manage their disease. Clearly this is important in Fox's case since he is not only the star but the executive producer of his ABC sitcom.

There are times his arms and wrists are so stiff, he says he cannot pick up a TV remote control.

In an interview in the forthcoming People magazine, he confess he slowing down to compensate for the disease.

With characteristic humor Fox adds, "when he's shaking, his can mix a margarita a in five seconds."

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