Parkinson's Disease is a neurological condition that affects the motor system of the body. It is named after James Parkinson, a British physician who recorded its symptoms for the first time in 1817. Parkinson's disease is characterised by a slow loss of dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra, a part of the brain.

Parkinson's disease is a condition where a part of your brain gradually deteriorates, with increasingly severe symptoms. This disorder can have a wide variety of other consequences on your senses, thinking skills, and mental health, etc. The condition is best known for how it impairs muscle coordination, balance, and movement.

What are Parkinson's Disease Symptoms

Everyone experiences Parkinson's symptoms differently, and early symptoms could be negligible and are usually ignored. The symptoms frequently start on one side of the body and generally continue to be severe there. Here are some the Parkinson's Disease Symptoms-

• Tremor: Your hands and fingers are the first limb to experience a tremor, or a rhythmic shaking. You could wiggle your thumb and forefinger. The term "pill-rolling tremor" describes this. Your hand shakes even at rest. You may experience less shaking while working on some task.
• Slowed Movement (Bradykinesia): Parkinson's disease may cause movement slowdown over time, making routine actions challenging and time-consuming, e.g, when you walk, your steps might get smaller. Getting up from a chair can be a challenging task. Dragging or shuffling of feet while walking is very common.
• Rigid Muscles: You can experience muscle tightness in any area of your body. Your range of motion may be restricted and the stiff muscles make daily activities difficult.
• Impaired Posture and Balance: You might start to slouch or trip or have balance issues.
• Loss of Automatic Movements: It's possible that your ability to make unconscious gestures like smiling, blinking, or swinging your arms when you walk will be less.
• Speech Changes: You might speak fast, mumble, slur, or even take pause before speaking. Your speech may lack the usual speech patterns and also seem more monotonous.

Stages of Parkinson's Disease

It may take years or even decades for Parkinson's disease to have a serious impact on you. Two experts named Margaret Hoehn and Melvin Yahr developed the Staging system in the year 1967. The staging system is no longer widely used as staging this condition is less helpful than figuring out how it affects each person individually and then treating them accordingly,

Today, the primary tool medical professionals use to categorize this condition is the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS). The MDS-UPDRS looks at four different aspects of your experience with Parkinson's disease.

Stage 1 of Parkinson's Disease

Non-Motor Aspects of Everyday Living : This stage covers non-motor (non-movement) symptoms such as Dementia, Depression, Anxiety, and other problems related to mental health. It also includes issues such as weariness, incontinence, and pain.

Stage 2 of Parkinson's Disease

Motor Aspects of Everyday Living : The consequences on tasks and abilities involving movement are affected in this stage. If you experience tremors, it also impacts your ability to speak, eat, chew, and swallow, as well as dress and take care of yourself in the bathroom.

Stage 3 of Parkinson's Disease

Motor Examination : This stage is used by a healthcare professional to examine the effects of Parkinson's disease on movement. The criteria they consider - expressions, your speech patterns,, stiffness and rigidity, your pace and gait when you walk, balance, speed of movement, tremors, etc.

Stage 4 of of Parkinson's Disease

Motor Complications : In this stage, a healthcare professional will assess the degree to which your life is being affected by your Parkinson's disease symptoms. That covers - how long you experience particular symptoms each day and whether they have an impact on how you spend your time.

Also Read - Types of Hypertension

Treatment for Parkinson's Disease

Although Parkinson's disease cannot be cured, there are many ways to treat its symptoms. The treatments differ from person to person depending on the individual's unique symptoms. Medication is regarded as the most effective treatment for this condition.

Surgery for Parkinson's Disease

Surgery implants a device in your brain administers a gentle electrical current to a portion of your brain. This procedure is known as Deep Brain Stimulation. Moreover, there are some experimental options, like stem cell-based therapies, but their accessibility varies a lot and may not be available to all those who have Parkinson's disease.

Medicine for Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is treated in many ways with different types of medications. That is why, it is highly likely that medications will perform one or more of the following:

Adding Dopamine: Dopamine levels in your brain can be raised by medications like Levodopa. When this drug is not useful it nearly always indicates the presence of another form of parkinsonism other than Parkinson's disease.

Simulating Dopamine: Drugs called dopamine agonists work just like dopamine in your body. A cell's behavior is affected by the neurotransmitter dopamine when a dopamine molecule attaches to it. After being exposed to dopamine agonists, cells might exhibit the same behavior.. These are more frequently administered to younger patients to postpone levodopa administration.

Dopamine Metabolism Blockers: Neurotransmitters such as dopamine can be broken down by your body with the help of natural mechanisms. More dopamine is kept available to your brain thanks to medications that prevent your body from breaking down dopamine. They can be really helpful during the early stages of Parkinson's disease.

Levodopa Metabolism Inhibitors: Levodopa will last longer thanks to the slowing of your body's metabolism caused by these drugs. You need to be careful while taking these drugs as they can harm your liver and have toxic side effects. They are most frequently used to supplement levodopa when it starts to lose its efficacy.

Adenosine Blockers: Combining levodopa with drugs that inhibit specific cells' usage of adenosine, a chemical found in many different forms throughout your body, can be beneficial.

FAQs

What is the main cause of Parkinson disease?

The substantia nigra is a region of your brain. It loses nerve cells resulting in Parkinson's disease.

What age does Parkinson's start?

Although most people with Parkinson's first experience the disease after the age of 60, 5% to 10% experience onset before the age of 50, making age a clear risk factor. Although it is not always inherited, Parkinson's disease with an early onset has been linked to specific genetic changes in some cases.

Can Parkinson be cured?

Despite the fact that Parkinson's disease has no known cure, there are therapies that can aid in symptom management and quality of life maintenance. One of these treatments is supportive therapy, such as physiotherapy. medication.

Can stress cause Parkinson's?

According to research, stressful life experiences may raise one's likelihood of developing Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, studies on animals show that stress weakens dopamine cells, causing more severe parkinsonian symptoms. Acute stress in people can make motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, freezing, and tremor worse.

Can a 25 year old get Parkinson's?

Parkinson's disease rarely affects individuals under the age of 50, although for a small percentage of patients, the condition does. Parkinson's is typically diagnosed at 60 years of age, but anything diagnosed before that is known as young-onset Parkinson's, or YOPD.

How long can you live with Parkinson's?

Although Parkinson's disease does not directly cause death, it can put a great deal of stress on the body and increase a person's susceptibility to serious and life-threatening infections. However, thanks to improvements in medicine, the majority of those who have Parkinson's disease now have normal or nearly normal life expectancies.