Parkinsons Disease - Disease or Parkinson sickness, also called paralysis agitans, is a neurodegenerative disorder chronic leading, eventually, to a progressive disability.
It affects both men and women, being the second neurodegenerative disorder most prevalent in Spain after Alzheimer's disease.
It usually appears from 60 years of age with a peak between 70 and 79 years incidence peak, although sometimes, in a 5-10% of cases, also it can be manifested at an early stage in ages below 40 years.
In 1997, the World Health Organization established on 11 April as World Parkinson's day, date of the birth of James Parkinson, British physician who first described the disease in 1817, in order to raise awareness about the problems with the people affected by it.
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| Parkinsons Disease |
Causes of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease occurs as a result of the destruction of neurons in the substantia nigra of the basal ganglia of the brain, brain area responsible for coordinating movements, muscle tone and posture.
The triggering causes may be multiple and are not yet fully known. Genetic factors, accelerated aging, or some environmental toxins could influence. Between 5-10% of patients with Parkinson's disease have a family history suggesting that genes involved there are.
As the underlying cause is the loss of a few specific neurons in the brain, treatment is mainly based on the administration of neurotransmitter that occur in these neurons, dopamine.
Main symptoms and Parkinsonism
Since the area of the brain affected is responsible for coordinating the movements and muscle tone, the most common symptoms are:
- Resting tremor. It is the most frequent. Decreases when the patient is engaged in some activity or during sleep.
- Slow movement (bradykinesia), especially in the movements of precision as fasten buttons or write, but over time becomes a widespread clumsiness.
- Muscle stiffness.
- Alteration of body posture and postural instability.
- Loss of balance, which increases the risk of falls.
- Gait alterations, especially to make turns.
- Facial blankness.
- Reduction of flicker.
- The bracing walking decreased.
- Not all symptoms occur in all patients, and the Association of two or more of these symptoms is called parkinsonism.
- As it is a progressive disorder symptoms gradually worsen over time. Also suffering from the disease, stress and anxiety, may aggravate them.
Other non-motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease
- Reduction of the sense of smell.
- Difficulty swallowing saliva and drooling.
- Difficulty in defecation and constipation.
- Urinary incontinence.
- Psychological symptoms: anxiety, depression and low libido.
- Sleep disorders: insomnia or sleep fragmentation.
- Sensory symptoms: tingling or pain in a limb.
Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease
The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease clinical base is. There is no evidence of laboratory or radiological study allowing to diagnose the disease.
Complementary tests as analysis of blood, MRI or PET, are used to help rule out other processes since many of the symptoms of Parkinson's can be shared by other pathologies (hypothyroidism, hydrocephalus, cerebral vascular lesions or tumors).
The application of pharmacological therapy with Levodopa (the drug of choice in the treatment of Parkinson's disease), can confirm the disease in a few days if symptoms improve or are clearly corrected after its administration.
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