Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson’s disease (also PD, or Parkinson disease) is a degenerative condition of the central nervous system. Patients diagnosed often have impaired motor skills and speech.
Parkinson's Disease
Part is known as a movement disorder, characterized by muscle rigidity, tremors, and slowed or even total loss of movement. This is caused primarily by decreased stimilation of the motor cortex. Parkinson’s disease is both chronic (life-long) and progressive (gets worse).
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson’s disease has been recognize and treated since ancient times, but it wasn’t until a British physician, James Parkinson, wrote an essay in 1817 that the symptoms were documented. Those symptoms typically include disorders of mood, behavior, thinking, and sensation; however, the disease primarily affects movement. Symtoms are different in every individual, and progression of the disorder is also unique.
Though there are no blood or laboratory tests that can diagnose Parkinson’s disease, it is often recognized though medical history and neurological exams. The disease can often be misdiagnosed, with only 75% of cases confirmed (post-mortem), and sometimes is dismissed as the normal effect of aging. Usually, doctors check for shuffling of feet and lack of wing in the arms.
Most people with Parkinson’s disease are defined as “idiopathic” or having no cause; however, rare cases are induced by genetics, toxins, head trauma or drugs. Treatment of Parkinson’s disease includes lifelong management including education, support groups, wellness maintenance, exercise and nutrition. Medication and surgery can currently provide relief, but there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease. Recently, Botox injections have been proposed as an experimental, alternative treatment.
While Parkinson’s disease is not considered fatal, patients generally live to a lower age than those without the disease. Also, in late stages of Parkinson’s disease, complications can cause choking, pneumonia, or falls that can lead to fatality.
