Also, visit the Behcet's Disease Web page . Lurching gait, difficulty in speaking, muscle rigidity, impairment of eye movement, are involved. Mental alertness and intellect are preserved. Type I, begins about age 20 years, Type II, about 30 years and Type III, Machado s after 40 years. This disease is very similar to Parkinson s Disease.
Medicines are L-dopa and baclofen.
A research nucleus has been formed in Toronto, Canada to further the research of this disease that has afflicted many Portuguese as well as Melungeons. The incidence of M-J among Portuguese from the Azores Islands, as well as the Continent, is large. Machado-Joseph disease was discovered in the United States in 1972. The gene responsible for the disease was identified in 1994 and it is now possible to detect it before birth. The University of Porto in Portugal is developing a world data base for the Machado-Joseph Disease.