Michael J. Fox Thinks Partying May Have Caused His Parkinson’s Disease

Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at the age of 29. The actor has since dedicated himself to advocacy, research, and finding a cure for the disease through The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

The actor keeps it candid about living with Parkinson’s, and in a recent interview, he revealed it was possible that his partying during his much younger days could have led to his condition.

Fox speculates a specific reason for his Parkinson’s

In a recent interview, Fox was questioned on the comment he made while Woody Harrelson was presenting an honorary Academy Award — Fox claimed that he and Harrelson both did “some damage” in the ’80s. The interviewer then probed the actor further on if he thought the “damage” was what led to his Parkinson’s. “I mean, there’s so many ways that you can… that I could’ve hurt myself. I could’ve hit my head. I could’ve drank too much at a certain developmental period,” he answered. He added that he could have been “exposed to some kind of chemical.”

RELATED: ‘Not Going To Be 80’: Michael J. Fox Admits Parkinson’s Disease Is Progressing

Fox also admitted to how challenging it has been living with the disease and how it has affected his perspective on mortality. “I’m not going to lie, it’s getting hard. It’s getting harder. It’s getting tougher,” he said. “You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s. I’ve been thinking about the mortality of it. I’m not going to be 80.”

Fox’s contribution to the management of Parkinson’s disease

As someone who is greatly involved in the research and management of Parkinson’s disease, Fox wrote a piece for USA Today titled, “Michael J. Fox: Do you have Parkinson’s? New test is ‘breakthrough’ in diagnosing disease.”

He wrote about a breakthrough discovery that had been announced by his foundation and Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative. The discovery involved an objective way of diagnosing Parkinson’s using spinal fluid.

“It’s a first, and a monumental leap forward, for our disease,” Fox wrote. “The new test is remarkably accurate (this is especially rare in brain disease). It will allow scientists to unlock some of Parkinson’s deepest-held secrets — like how early cellular dysfunction begins in brain and body cells, what other aspects of biology are involved in risk, onset and progression, and why Parkinson’s symptoms and disease course are so notoriously different in different people.”