Some 1,500 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are living with Parkinson’s disease, and some neurologists are concerned that those numbers will continue to grow.

Dr. Kyna Squarey, a neurologist with ProActive Wellness, explains that Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disease that results, in part, from the death of cells in the brain that produce dopamine.

That said, Squarey notes that little is known about what actually causes the disease or how to stop it.

According to Squarey, symptoms of the disease include shaking or tremors in limbs, stiffness in the limbs, slow movement, and impaired balance.

However, early warning signs can be quite different and can include loss of smell, depression, constipation, and REM sleep disorder—which is where people act out their dreams.

Squarey says there are a number of risk factors, one of the most prevalent of which is getting older.

She says there are environmental factors as well, such as being sedentary and food choices. As well, she notes that people who don’t smoke are at a greater risk than people who do.