Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects the part of your brain that’s responsible for movement, according to Dr Gurneet Sawhney, one of the best Neurosurgeon in Mumbai, People suffering from Parkinson’s have a deficiency of dopamine, a brain chemical that aids in controlling your body’s movement.
In this article let’s discuss the symptoms, potential causes, and risks that are associated with this disease in order to better help yourself and your loved ones.
Signs & Symptoms
The signs and symptoms for Parkinson’s disease can be different for everyone, according to DrGurneetSawhney, an expert Neurosurgeon in Mumbai, Symptoms tend to start gradually, such as a barely noticeable tremor in one of your hands.
Parkinson’s signs and symptoms may include:
- Tremor – Also known as shaking, usually begins in a limb such as your hands or fingers
- Slowed movement (bradykinesia) – With time, the disease may slow down your movements making it even difficult to take simple steps.
- Impaired posture & balance – Overtime, your posture may become stooped and you may possibly experience body balancing problems.
- Loss of involuntary movements – You may experience decreased ability to perform an unconscious movement, such as blinking, smiling, or swinging your arms while you walk
- Speech changes – hesitating before talking may occur; your speech may also become more monotonous.
When living with Parkinson’s disease, you may notice that your symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time, which, unfortunately, is not uncommon.
Currently, Parkinson’s disease cannot be cured. However, the right medications might significantly improve your symptoms. Occasionally, your doctor may even suggest surgery to regulate certain regions of your brain to help improve your symptoms.
It’s important to note that you should go see your doctor if you or your loved one have experienced any of the symptoms relating to Parkinson’s disease described above. Discovering the disease in its early stage – although very difficult to do – can benefit you in the long run.
Causes
While there could be several unknown factors linked to the direct cause of Parkinson’s disease, there are still some aspects that appear to play a role in its development.
The way the disease works is that certain nerve cells in the brain gradually break down or die. The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease reflect a loss of neurons that produce a chemical messenger in your brain called dopamine.
As the dopamine levels decrease, it causes abnormal activity in your brain, which eventually leads to the symptoms of the disease.
It’s also important to note that over time researchers have discovered several changes begin to develop in the brain of someone diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. These changes include:
- The presence of Lewy bodies – Lewy bodies are clumps of specific substances within the brain cells that are microscopic markers of the disease; researchers believe Lewy bodies hold an important clue to the cause of Parkinson’s disease
- Alpha-synuclein found within Lewy bodies – alpha-synuclein is one of the natural and widespread proteins found within Lewy bodies, which scientists believe is important; these are found within the Lewy bodies in a clump that cells cannot break down
According to studies, the alpha-synuclein clumps that are found within the Lewy bodies have become a huge breakthrough in research that’s associated with Parkinson’s disease.
Risk Factors
Scientists are continually working to better understand the broad range of risks associated with Parkinson’s disease. Some risk factors include:
- Age – People usually develop the disease around age 60 or older, while young adults rarely get diagnosed; typically, the disease begins later in life and the risk increases with age.
- Heredity – If you have a relative with Parkinson’s disease, the risk increases for the chance that you will also develop the disease; however, the risks are still small unless you have multiple relatives with the disease.
- Gender – Typically, men have a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than women.
Diagnosis & Treatment
There are more than 10 million people living worldwide with this disease. With little being known about Parkinson’s disease, there’s no “one way” to diagnose it. However, there are many symptoms the doctor can spot and there are certain diagnostic tests that can be done to determine if someone has the disease.
Often, it’s the family physician who first makes the diagnosis. Then that patient may seek an additional opinion from a neurologist or Neurosurgeon with experience in assessing Parkinson’s disease. Once someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, they will go through a treatment plan that is specifically based on his or her symptoms since there is no standard treatment of care for the disease.
Treatments range from taking specific medications to having surgical therapy. Other treatments may require lifestyle modifications, such as getting more rest, eating healthier and exercising more often.
While many medications are available to treat the disease’s symptoms, there are no reverse effects on the disease itself. People living with Parkinson’s disease typically take a variety of medications, which are all different according to that specific person’s needs.
It’s important for someone living with Parkinson’s disease to keep track of his or her medications, as well as understand the concept of what the medication provides. Maintaining and sticking to a schedule of taking your medications will provide the greatest benefit and help you avoid making the mistake of missing a dose or two.
While living with Parkinson’s disease can be challenging at times, it’s important to remember that there are certain things you can do to increase your overall well-being. From finding new diets that could impact your health to taking care of your emotional well-being, all of these could make an impact on your life while living with the disease