
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, November 17, 1995                   TAG: 9511170082
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

ATTORNEY GENERAL HAS PARKINSON'S

Attorney General Janet Reno announced Thursday that she has Parkinson's disease, but said she plans to remain in office and does not expect the illness to affect her duties as the nation's chief law enforcement officer.

Reno, 57, said the only visible symptom of the disease - a slowly progressive disorder that affects muscle movement - is a slight tremor in her left hand.

She made the announcement at the start of her weekly Justice Department news conference. Asked if she had any plans to resign because of the illness, the blunt-spoken Reno replied simply, ``no.''

Asked if it would prevent her from serving a second term, Reno said she didn't know of any reason why she wouldn't serve again - if President Clinton is re-elected and wants her to return.

``If I didn't think I could do the job, I'd be the first to tell President Clinton,'' she said.

Just before her news conference, Reno discussed her illness with Leon Panetta, the White House chief of staff, whom she described as ``very supportive.'' Clinton telephoned Reno later in the day.

The former Dade County, Fla., state prosecutor, the first woman U.S. attorney general and perhaps the most physically active person to hold the post in three decades, poked fun at herself and joked with reporters as she discussed her illness.

``As I grow old and become a very old lady, I may find limitation in mobility, limitation in muscle responses. But I feel fine now. I continue to take my long walks. I don't feel like I have any impairment. I feel strong and feel like moving ahead,'' she said, smiling.

There is no known cause of Parkinson's disease, which affects an estimated 500,000 to 1 million Americans. The average age for the onset of the disease is 57 - Reno's age - and it is the fourth most common neurodegenerative disease among those over 65, according to the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy.

The disease is most often associated with a tremor that begins in one or both hands and moves to the arms and legs. Some patients suffer muscular rigidity, take on a mask-like facial expression and experience a stooped posture.

Reno appears to be in the early stages of the illness, which doctors say can linger for many years.

by CNB