Parkinson’s Disease

Credit:webmd.com

Parkinson’s Disease – Progressive Damage to Nerve Cells

Parkinson’s disease is an ailment wherein the part of the brain tends to get progressively damaged over a period of years. It could also affect the way one moves and is a problem with certain nerves cells in the brain. It is caused by loss of nerve cells in an area of the brain known as substantia nigra which leads to the reduction in the amount of chemical known as dopamine in the brain.

In normal condition, these nerve cells create an important chemical, dopamine which sends signals to the part of the brain that controls movements. This enables the muscles to move smoothly and perform their functions. When a person suffers from Parkinson, these nerve cells tend to break down and there is not enough dopamine which results in facing problem with the movements.

Parkinson is progressive which means that it could get worse with time and tends to occur slowly over several years. It is unknown to what could cause the nerve cells to break down though scientist are researching on the same, trying to figure out the possible causes which includes aging and pollution in the environment. In some cases, it could be abnormal genes which could lead to Parkinson’s’ disease.

Symptoms of the Parkinson Disease

The four main symptoms of this disease are: tremor which may affect hands, arm or legs, stiff muscles, slow movement as well as problems with balancing or walking. The firstsigns could be tremors and is the most common signs of this disease though not all them face it. The tremors often tend to start in only one arm or leg or one side of the body and may get worse when awake or moving the affected arm or leg. It could also get better when you move the limb or while asleep.

Over a period of time, this condition tends to affect muscles all over the body with possibilities leading to problems like constipation or difficulty in swallowing. In later stage of the disease, the patient may also have blank or fixed expression, problem in speaking with various other problems while some may also lose their mental skills known as dementia.

Supportive Treatment 

People may start to experience these symptoms between the age of 50 and 60 though some may even start having these symptoms earlier. Besides this, a person with this ailment could also experience a range of other physical and psychological symptoms like depression, problems in sleeping, loss of a sense of smell or anosmia and memory loss.

Presently there is no cure for this disease though treatment is available in helping to reduce the main problems and maintain the person’s life as long as it is possible. These may include supportive treatments which may include physiotherapy as well as occupational therapy, together with medication and to some extent even surgery. One may not need any treatment during the initial stages of this ailment since the symptoms may be mild though in consultation with the physician, and the extent of the disease, the condition could be monitored and treatment can be carried out as per the advice of the physician.