The Parkinson's Plan

Who does Parkinson's disease affect?

 

Parkinson's Disease is estimated to affect approximately 1.5 million people in the United States alone. Typically this disease affects people over the age of 50, yet the incidence of those affected younger than 50 is rising. It affects more often males than females and statistically, 1 in 15 males over the age of 45 living in the United States will develop Parkinson's Disease in his lifetime.

 

Parkinson's Disease Risk Factors

 

There have been several studies that have posed different theories to risk factors for the development of Parkinson's Disease. Several studies indicate that environmental toxins contribute to damage of certain neurons in the brain resulting in Parkinson's. Several studies link pesticides in particular to an increased risk in the development of Parkinson's disease. One recent study found that there was a greater than 50% increase risk in the development of Parkinson's when exposed to fungicide benomyl. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3545765/pdf/pnas.201220399.pdf. The exact relationship between the exposure to environmental toxins and the development of the neurological disease is unknown.

 

 

Parkinson's Disease

 

Parkinson's disease results when certain neurons in the brain stop producing dopamine. There is damage to the brain which results in damage to the ability of these neurons to produce dopamine. By the time many people develop symptoms, there already is substantial degeneration. The degeneration is not limited to just the substantia nigra, but also to several other areas of the brain like the hypothalamus and nucleus basalis.

 

Over the past several years there have been large advances in the understanding of Parkinson's Disease. Due to this increase in knowledge of Parkinson's Disease, there is also increased awareness that Parkinson's Disease is more complex than thought. there is a need for much more research and understanding. Parkinson's disease does not present the same for everyone. One person can experience symptoms very different than another person with the same diagnoses. Therefore, there is a need for an individualized approach to treatment.

 

 

Parkinson's Disease Symptoms

 

There are several different types of symptoms that are associated with Parkinson's Disease. People can experience a combination of different symptoms, some more severe than others.

 

 

Early Symptoms:

 

 

Loss of smell:

an early sign of PD is the inability to smell things as strongly. Normally smell can fluctuate due to cold or sinus congestion, but if loss of smell occurs with no perceived reason, this could be a sign of early Parkinson's Disease

 

 

Constipation:

If you strain to move your bowels on a chronic basis, this could be a sign of early Parkinson's. Constipation can have a wide variety of different causes so it is important that this is evaluated by a medical professional.

 

 

 

Masked face:

The masked face is when the face does not exhibit the same facial expression as others, meaning that the face appears with the same expression even when one is happy, sad, excited or upset. Although a masked face can be due to certain medications, it is also an early sign of Parkinson's Disease.

 

 

Small Handwriting

If you notice that the letters you write are smaller and the words are more crowded together, this could be a sign of early Parkinson's. There are, however, other causes of changes in handwriting including arthritis in the hand among other things.

 

 

Resting Tremor

A common early symptom of Parkinson's Disease is a small tremor of the hand, finger, or thumb while at rest. There are several other causes of a resting tremor so it is important to get a medical professional to evaluate your symptoms if you suspect Parkinson's Disease.

 

 

Motor Symptoms

 

Resting tremor

Action Tremor

Muscular Rigidity

Bradykinesia

Postural Instability

Decreased Facial Expression

Drooling

Slurred Speach

Difficulty Swallowing

Stooped Posture

Shuffling Gate

MicroGraphia

Dyskinesia

 

 

 

Non-Motor Symptoms

 

Pain

Mood Disorder

Cognitive Changes

Hallucinations and Delusions

Fatigue

Urinary problems

Sleep disorders

 

 

Parkinson's Disease Course

 

Once a person is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the rate of progression of the disease is difficult to determine. It seems that some patients progress much slower while others progress much more quickly. Inflammation and immune responses have been two categories that seem to play a key role in the progression of this neurodegenerative disease. There have been antibodies found against proteins associated with Parkinson's disease that enforces the idea that immune dis-regulation contributes to the course of Parkinson's Disease. Based on this, decreasing inflammation and balancing the immune system can help slow the progression of the disease.