The History Of Parkinsons Disease

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

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Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system which leads to shaking and stiffness of the body, as well as difficulty in walking, maintaining balance and coordination. It affects about a million people in America and over five million worldwide. Parkinson’s disease is the most common disorder affecting movement and second most common neurodegenerative disease . The degree of impairment is different in different individuals, with some people living long and productive lives but others get high disability levels. This makes some die from injuries or pneumonia related to the condition.

The disease occurs mostly in people aged above sixty years and the likely hood of the disease occurring increases as the age increases. There are, however, limited cases where Parkinson’s disease could occur in young adults or even a juvenile onset of the disease but the likelihood is very low. The disease is named after James Parkinson, who was a British doctor and first described the disease in 1817 as "shaking palsy". Parkinson’s disease is caused by lack of a dopamine in a person. Dopamine is a substance that acts as a messenger between substantia nigra and corpus striatum in the brain to produce controlled movements. When there is lack of dopamine production or the dopamine produced is low, communication between substantia nigra and corpus striatum is affected, thereby impairing movement.

Symptoms of Parkinson diseases affect some people more than others and usually affect one side of the body leaving out the other. Four types of symptoms characterize the condition. First, there is trembling of the body parts such as limbs, jaws and head. The trembling occurs when a person is resting but not when performing a task and increases when exited or stressed. Secondly, there is rigidity of the body that makes limbs and the trunk stiff. This rigidity sometimes cause muscle pains. Parkinson disease sufferers also experience bradykinesia, which means they are slow in movement as well as have a walk characterized by a stooped gait and no arm swing. Finally, the disease is characterized by postural instability that is caused by lack of reflexes making it hard to maintain balance. The Parkinson condition also has other secondary symptoms such as anxiety, stress and depression as well as memory loss and male erectile dysfunction. .

Despite the knowledge that Parkinson disease is caused by lack of dopamine, the cause of deterioration of the brain cells which produce it is not known. However, scientists believe that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the loss of dopamine, which lead to Parkinson’s disease. Even though the disease arises sporadically with no known cure, about 15% of those suffering from the disease have relatives suffering from the same. Scientists have therefore studied families where the condition is hereditary and identifies five genes that are associated with the disease.

The people who are at risk of suffering form Parkinson’s disease is mostly the old. Over 90% of those who suffer from the diseases are aged 60 years and above, with the remaining 10% being younger adults and children sufferers of the condition. In terms of gender, men have a higher risk of contracting the disease compared to women. 50% to 100% more men than women are affected by the condition. Another contribution factor is heredity, with 15% of those suffering from the disease having a relative with the same condition. In addition, people who have had head trauma or illness and exposure to toxins such as chemicals may be at a higher risk of suffering from the disease.

To enable proper management and enhancement of the quality of life for someone suffering from Parkinson condition, it is important to have an early and accurate diagnosis of the condition. However, there is no laboratory test for Parkinson’s disease in a person who is still alive, it can only be diagnosed from a neurological examination by a physician or from medical history. When studying the medical history, information of whether any other blood relative ever suffered from the disease is important. The physician will also need to know any past traumas or toxins the patient may have been exposed to in their lives. A neurological exam on the other hand will include evaluating walking, coordination and handling of tasks with hands by the patient. Despite such diagnostic measures, diagnosis is complicated further by similarities in symptoms with other conditions, which are similar to those of Parkinson’s disease. This sometimes leads to misdiagnosis where someone suffering from other conditions is diagnosed as having Parkinson’s disease or one who has it being diagnosed as suffering from another disease. Diagnosis is however easier if there are more than one symptom preset or if the symptoms start affecting one side of the body. It is also easier to diagnose if the symptoms are not due to other causes such as stroke or medication and also if levodopa, a dopamine substitute, improves the symptoms of the patient.

Just as there is no known cause of Parkinson’s disease, the disease has no known cure. The disease however can be managed to improve and prolong the life of a patient. The management therapies used to manage the condition work by increasing the amount of dopamine in the brain or mimicking it as well as prolonging dopamine effect by preventing its breakdown. One of the therapies used is use of dopamine agonists, substances that mimic dopamine action as well as those that reduce breakdown of dopamine. In later stages, levedopa which gets converted into dopamine when it reaches the brain is used. Levedopa is prescribed in the advanced stages of the disease and used together with senemet to prevent the same from causing negative side effects to the patient. At much advanced levels of the disease when it is not manageable by other means, other ways of dealing with it such as surgery may be used. The surgery can be by implanting electrodes to stimulate the brain cells involved in movement or destroying the areas in the brain that cause Parkinson’s symptoms. In addition, lifestyle changes such as physical therapy and speech therapy as well as rest and exercise improves the condition of the patient.

In conclusion, it is important to note that Parkinson’s disease has no known cause or cure but some factors are attributable to the disease and risk groups identified. The symptoms of the disease affect different people differently and progress at different rates and so some people live a relative normal life yet they suffer from the disease. The disease is not fatal but can indirectly cause death from other factors such as injuries and pneumonia. It is also important to seek medical attention early to monitor the progress of the disease as well ensure the correct therapy is given to enable prolonging life of a patient and improve the quality of life.

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