Parkinson's Disease
INTRODUCTION In 1817, a London physician, named James Parkinson, wrote the
first information of Parkinson’s disease in his “Essay of the Shaking Palsy.”
Little research was done throughout the years. However, researchers at the
University of Vienna brought hope in 1960, that restoring low dopamine levels
might effectively treat the disease. Investigators soon learned that dopamine by
itself was useless; it would be metabolized before reaching the brain. So, in
1970, levodopa was approved for prescription sale and in 1975, Sinemet became
available on prescription. What exactly is Parkinson’s? Are there effective
treatments? Soon, we will find out the answers to these questions and many
others. Not many people know what Parkinson’s disease is. Others may have
misconceptions about the disease. I wrote this paper to inform the reader and to
expand on my own general interest. Also, this topic is important to me because
my grandmother has this disease, and I wanted to know more about it. I would
like to thank the writers and publishers for writing and printing the necessary
material. This paper is incomplete due to unobtainable sources, because this is
an ever-changing field, and limited resources for obtaining some information.
PARKINSON’S DISEASE Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neurological disorder
characterized by tremor, stiffness, and slowness of movement. Patients diagnosed
with Parkinson’s disease become hunched over, tend to lose their balance, and
have slurred speech (Sinha & Zang, pp. 77-81). There are many other symptoms
which will be described briefly. Between one and one-and-a-half million
Americans have Parkinson’s disease. It can affect men and women; men have a
greater chance of getting it; living anywhere in the world. It is uncommon in
people under thirty years old and eighty percent of all cases are diagnosed
after the age of fifty. As with many other diseases, the risk of developing
Parkinson’s disease increases with age. “Before the current best treatments, the
mortality rate was three times higher than for the average person.
Currently
it’s one-and-a-half times as high. The saying now is that you don’t die from
Parkinson’s disease; you die with it,” (Meadows, pp.117). It has been
approximately 183 years since James Parkinson, who the disease is named after
respectively, wrote his “Essay of the Shaking Palsy,”
(www.coyotewebart.com/parkinsons_news/curve.html). Little was known then, and
still, 183 years later, researchers are looking for the cure which is basically
like looking for a needle in a hay stack. A daunting task, yes, but when the
needle is found, all the hard work and dedication will be embellished with
success. Some of the first signs or symptoms of Parkinson’s disease could be
shorter strides, lack of arm swing, and possibly a tremor on one side of the
body. The cause of these symptoms is from the slow degeneration of specific
brain cells that make dopamine (Sinha & Zang, pp. 77-81). Dopamine is an
important neurotransmitter that acts as the go signal between the brain with the
rest of the body, initiating thought page 2 into motion. Primary symptoms
include rigidity, tremor, Bradykinesia, poor balance, & walking problems.
Rigidity is an increased tone or stiffness in the muscles which is often
responsible for a mask-like expression of the face. Unless it is temporarily
eased by anti-Parkinson’s medications, rigidity is always present. In some
patients, rigidity leads to sensations of pain, especially in the arms and
shoulders. Tremor is the symptom the public most identifies with Parkinson’s
disease, but in fact, only twenty-five percent of patients experience a very
slight tremor or none at all. When a tremor is present, it may be worse on one
side of the body (www.pdf.org, December 2000). Bradykinesia is characterized by
a delay in initiating movements. Poor balance leads to repeated falls and
walking problems which include a decreased or nonexistent arm swing; short,
shuffling steps; difficulty in negotiating turns; and sudden freezing spells.
Everyday dilemmas patients with Parkinson’s encounter, include difficulty with
fine hand movements like writing or tying shoelaces, to other movements, such as
getting out of a chair or turning in bed. It is important to note that not all
patients experience the full range of symptoms. In fact, most do not. People
with Parkinson’s disease may also suffer from any of a long list of secondary
symptoms. Depression, sleep disturbances, dizziness, dementia, and swallowing
are merely a few of these. Once again, all patients experience different
symptoms. The actual cause of Parkinson’s is not known. A defective gene was
recently found in a few families with a high incidence of Parkinson’s disease,
but most researchers believe in the vast majority of cases, genetics alone are
not the cause.
