Although being diagnosed with such a disease can be frightening, once you've learned everything you need to know about Parkinson's disease, much of the fear it will likely go away.
What Is Parkinson's Disease?
This is a progressive movement disorder that affects the nerve cells in the brain, which are the neurons. In most cases, the disease attacks the substantia nigra, which has a vital role in reward and movement. The neurons in this part of the brain produce the hormone dopamine, which is used to control the body's movement and coordination. As the condition progresses, the production of dopamine will gradually decrease to the point where the patient is no longer able to have normal movement.
Parkinson's Disease Symptoms:
1. Tremor
Patients will have a slight tremor in the hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face. This is the most common symptom and the one that most people will associate with having Parkinson's disease.
2. Stiff muscles
Stiff muscles restrict the patient’s range of motion and cause pain.
3. Changes in speech
Patients may speak slowly, quickly, slur the works, or hesitate for a moment before speaking.
4. Slow movement
As the disease progresses, the patient finds it difficult to move, thus, it takes a long time to accomplish previously simple tasks.
5. Changes in writing ability
Writing becomes difficult and patients tend to have small handwriting.
6. Loss of unconscious movements
There is a reduced ability for movements that you normally don’t have to think about, such as swinging the arms while walking, blinking, and smiling.
Parkinson's Disease Treatments:
There is no known cure for the disease. In fact, there is no definitive cause for the disease either. However, there are quite a few medications that have proven to be very effective in treating the symptoms that can help slow down the progression. These can come in the form of medications or surgery.
The choice of medication will depend largely on the symptoms other health factors, and age. All of these will have a bearing on how much of an effect the drug will have on relieving the symptoms. These drugs can cover a wide range of treatments including carbidopa/levodopa therapy, dopamine agonists, anticholingergics, MAO-B inhibitors, and COMT Inhibitors among others.
There are now two different surgical treatments available. Deep brain stimulation is the insertion of electrodes into a small section of the brain and then with the use of an MRI, they can record brain cell activity. The second phase of the operation is to implant an impulse generator under the collarbone. This will provide an electrical impulse to the section of the brain that controls motor function.
Another surgical procedure is to insert a tube into the stomach, which will be used to administer the drug carbidopa/levodopa. With that, it is believed that the body will absorb the drug and use it more efficiently than when the patient takes it orally.
In learning everything you need to know about Parkinson's disease, you'll find that while it can be a difficult condition to live with, the various treatment options and medications can be effective in giving you a normal life while they continue to search for a cure.