Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease is a brain condition that leads to uncontrollable or unintended movements like stiffness, shaking, and difficulty in coordination. Symptoms gradually begin and worsen over time, resulting in difficulty talking and walking.
Parkinson’s symptoms
The three primary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are:
- Tremor (involuntary shaking of body parts)
- Slow moments
- Inflexible and stiff muscle
Other wide ranges of physical and psychological symptoms are:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Balancing problems
- No sense of smell
- Insomnia
- Memory problems
Parkinson’s disease causes
Substantia nigra, loss of nerve cells in the brain, leads to Parkinson’s. The disease leads to a reduction of dopamine chemicals in the brain. Dopamine is crucial in regulating body movements, and chemical reduction is responsible for multiple symptoms. The exact cause of losing nerve cells is unclear, but the experts believe it might be due to genetics and environmental factors.
Parkinson’s disease affects who?
Around 1 in 50 people will be diagnosed with the disease, and most people will develop symptoms when they are over 50. But some people might experience signs under 40.
Men are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than women.
Parkinson’s disease treatment
Particularly, there is no cure for Parkinson’s, but there are treatments to help reduce the symptoms to maintain a quality life for as long as possible. The treatments include:
- Supportive therapies like physiotherapy and occupational therapy
- Medications
- In rare instances, a brain surgery
The early stage of the disease doesn’t require any treatments since the symptoms will be mild. But you should consider regular consultation with your doctor to track and monitor the condition.
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 23 JUNE 2022