Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease is a neurological disease that is also known for its rapid progression and degenerative characteristics. The disease affects a person's ability to perform basic functions and results in slow muscle movement, frequent tremors, rigidity, as well as other neurological symptoms. Parkinson's Disease is essentially when nerve cells in the brain begin to die off. These nerve cells are vital to the functioning of the brain and its respective processes. Parkinson's Disease is the second most common neurological disease, and it is estimated that there are over 750,000 infected in the United States alone. Age is a factor in the progression of the disease, as it is degenerative, thus old age is a crucial risk factor for the disease. Symptoms appearing in patients younger than forty years old is extremely rare, as the age of a newly-diagnosed patient is sixty-two years old. Additionally, gender has a role in the demographics of those diagnosed, as the disease tends to be more prevalent in males than females.

Despite having advanced medical technology and knowledge, the precise cause for Parkinson's Disease is unknown. There are suspected risk factors however, and they include: chemical exposure, contaminated drinking, and those who live in rural areas tend to be more affected. Parkinson's Disease is also known to be incredibily genetic, as the risk of being affected by Parkinson's Disease is increased exponentially when a family member has had it. Parkinson's Disease causes two distinct gene abnormalities: the presence of a protein known as alpha-synuclein, which damages the healthy cells, and a mutated gene that affects parkin, which assists in the break-down of proteins. A mutated parkin gene leads to an extreme accumulation of proteins, which is harmful to the body. Researchers believe that those who are exposed to multiple risk-factors are the ones most likely to be affected by the disease, i.e. someone who has a family history of Parkinson's Disease accompanied by toxin exposure. Though the mutated genes can be present for many years, symptoms begin to show when cells in the substania nigra degenerate. The substania nigra is imperative in relaying brain messages to the muscles, and thus muscle spasms and uncontrollable movement begin to occur.

The first symptoms that begin to appear with Parkinson's Disease are muscle stiffness, tremors, spasms, and uncontrollable movements. The person esssentially becomes unable to control their muscle movements and coordination, thus they suffer from twitches. There are numerous other symptoms associated with Parkinson's Disease, as it progresses, more symptoms may begin to show: orthostatic hypertension, muscle cramps, dementia, anxiety attacks, severe depression, fatigue, sterility, decreased senses, constipation, and excessive perspiration.

In order to diagnose Parkinson's Disease, doctors performs a series of neuorological examinations that test a person's muscle coordination and movements. Medical doctors often consider a one-sided tremor, muscle stiffness, and slow movements enough to confirm a Parkinson's diagnosis. Additional tests, such as MRI and PET scans are also helpful in diagnosing the disease. The disease is often difficult to distinguish from other similar diseases such as corticobasal degeneration, multiple system atrophy, and progressive supranuclear palsy.

As Parkinson's Disease is one of the most prominent neuorological diseases in the United States, a great deal of research is being conducted in search for possible treatments of the disease. Two medicines are also suggested to slow the progression of the disease: selegiline and dopamine agonists, though the accuracy of such statements is not known. Unfortunately, as of today, there are not any known treatments for the disease, though some treatments offer relief from the symptoms. Parkinson's Disease is unique compared to other diseases, in that treatment for the disease usually does not begin until symptoms begin to interfere with the person's ability to function. The most widely-taken drug treatment is levodopa, which minimizes the affects of the disease, and allows the patient to have more control over their muscle movement. While there are other drug treatments available, they often are less effective and result in hallucinations and have other side-effects. There is also the possibility of surgery on Parkinson's Disease patients, though it often isn't performed unless it is a life-or-death situation, due to the tremendous risk of it. Two different surgeries include: an ablative lesion, which kills part of the brain and thus restores a chemical equilibrium in the brain, and deep brain stimulation, which improves motor skills of the patient by 40-60%.