Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative condition of the nervous system. It can over the course of 10 to 25 years result in total loss of mobility. In all but a few cases of Parkinson’s disease there is no identifiable cause or even any obvious contributing factor.
The onset of Parkinson’s disease is usually between the ages of 50 and 70. The difference in incidence between men and women is not statistically significant. While the symptoms are certainly troublesome and can eventually result in the total loss of mobility, death as a direct result of Parkinson’s disease is uncommon and the life expectancy for a Parkinson’s patient has over the last decade or so grown very close to that of the population in general.
The most common and usually first obvious symptom of Parkinson’s disease is a tremor. The tremor is often observed in the hand and lower arm but tremors of the leg are also quite common. There is a large variation from patient to patient as to where in the body the tremor appears. Early in the disease process the tremor often decreases substantially with muscle activity. For example the tremor will often decrease or appear to go away when a patient reaches for an object. Once the hand is back at rest the tremor will return. It is also unusual to see any tremors during sleep.
Because of the similarity to other diseases the rate of misdiagnosis among all of the conditions that cause tremors is quite high. This is especially true if the diagnosis is made by anyone other than a neurologist who is very familiar with this specific condition and the patients affected by it. Some of the diseases with similar symptoms are supranuclear palsy (PSP), Alzheimer’s disease and essential tremor. Certain types of drugs can even cause Parkinson’s like symptoms. While there is no specific test for Parkinson’s disease, lab and other diagnostic testing may help in the diagnosis and also help to eliminate other possible diseases. You need to remember that while most patients with Parkinson’s disease have tremors not every patient with a tremor has Parkinson’s disease.
Some other common symptoms are muscle stiffness and ache, problems with balance, a shuffling type of step when walking, problems with swallowing and talking, and postural changes. Although these are a few of the more common symptoms, many other symptoms are also possible and may in fact be a significant problem for a given patient.
Drugs therapy is of primary importance in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. There are a number of drugs that can significantly decrease the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. For most patients the drugs are not started early in the disease process but are held until the symptoms begin to affect daily activity. However, new studies are indicating that earlier treatment with certain drugs may slow the progression of the disease so we will probably begin to see drug therapy used earlier in the disease process. Levodopa has been used for years to effectively treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease but newer drugs and questions about negative effects from long term levodopa use have increased interest in and the use of newer drugs.
Surgery can be an option for some patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease or who do not tolerate the medications. Years ago surgery for Parkinson’s disease required attempting to remove specific small areas of the brain that were involved in the symptoms. Today this type of invasive surgery is done only in rare cases. Instead of the old style surgery, the current technique involves implanting electrical stimulators into the brain. These stimulators send electrical impulses through tiny wires deep into the brain and can have a significant positive effect that is more predictable and much safer than the old type of Parkinson’s brain surgery.
Changes in lifestyle will need to be made as the disease progresses. The patient should have an easy access living space (no stairs) safety rails in the bathroom and other modification to make life easier and safer. The patient will also need assistance devices such as a cane, walker or wheelchair as the disease progresses. It may also be beneficial to consider a variety of therapies as necessary. These can include such areas as speech therapy, physical therapy, and certainly in many cases psychological therapy to help deal with some of the difficult psychological adjustments that will need to be made.
Although as accurate as possible, the information in this article may not relate to your particular medical condition and is not intended to be used in the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. In addition any sites to which we link may or may not contain information appropriate to your medical condition.
By: Martin Rossi About the Author:
To find detailed information about the drugs used to treat Parkinson’s
disease visit
http://healthetopics.com/parkinsons-disease where you will also find links to various support organizations and additional information and news about this
disease. You can also find coverage on a variety of other health topics throughout the main
http://healthetopics.com website.
The author of this article Martin Rossi is a U.S. licensed pharmacist who is also specialty certified to provide patient education for a number of disease states including asthma and diabetes. He has been in practice for over 20 years in a variety of professional settings and has lectured on and created continuing education programs for a number of health related topics. Martin also holds a MBA degree and has worked part time as a marketing consultant. You can contact the author with questions or comments at the website noted above.
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