What is Parkinson's Disease?
Many people have heard of Parkinson's disease but few actually know what it is or why people come down with it. In essence, Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that, over time, affects a person in many ways.
Parkinson's disease occurs when certain cells in the brain, Substantia Nigra cells, break down and die. These Substantia Nigra cells produce a chemical known as Dopamine which works as a neurotransmitter in the brain. These neurotransmitters send out information to the parts of the brain that control the movement and co-ordination of the person's muscles.
When these cells die the amount of dopamine produced in the brain begins to gradually decrease. At some point, the messages being delivered to the parts of the brain controlling movement and co-ordination will also begin to decrease. Once this happens, it becomes more difficult for the person to co-ordinate his body movements. If the patient were not able to receive treatment, he would lose these abilities completely at some point in his life.
Symptoms
The symptoms of Parkinson's disease can vary greatly from one person to the next, but there are some symptoms that tend to be general in nature, and will affect most patients. They are:
- Tremors in the hands, legs, jaw, face, and arms. In the very early stages of Parkinson's disease these are very fine tremors which are barely even noticeable. As the disease progresses, the tremors become more noticeable. Eventually, the tremors become so bad that they will affect the person in many ways.
- Stiffness and rigidity in the patient's limbs and trunk is considered another classic symptom of Parkinson's disease
- Bradykinesia is another classic symptom of Parkinson's disease. This relates to slowness of movement.
- Poor or impaired balance is another symptom. In conjunction with posture and co-ordination problems it cause inconvenience and difficulty when they develop Parkinson's.
- Yet another classic symptom of Parkinson's disease is the distinctive "shuffle" patients develop while walking. Patients eventually lose the ability to swing their arms when walking and this leads to the distinctive looking walk some of them have.
More than a million Americans have Parkinson's disease. Even though many people assume it is an age-related disease, it is not. Approximately 15% of patients are diagnosed before the age of 40. The truth is it can hit at any age; however it is also true that the frequency of Parkinson's disease does increase with age.
What exactly causes Parkinson's disease is still unknown, and currently there is no known cure for it. The good news is that many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, especially in the earlier stages of it, can successfully controlled, using a regime of therapy and drugs. In some cases, surgery is also an option.
There is no denying that Parkinson's disease is a complex illness that gradually impairs a person's ability to live a full life. But there is hope. With the proper care and the proper medical treatments, Parkinson's disease sufferers can have a better quality of life.