What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease develops over many years as the nervous systems gradually becomes damaged.
What are the symptoms?
- Muscles become stiff/inflexible
- Involuntary shaking of certain parts of the body
- Movement decreases
Those are the main symptoms, however there can be more, such as:
- Depression and anxiety
- Constipation
- Insomnia
- Anosmia (loss of smell)
- Dementia
- Excessive sweating
What causes Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells, meaning a reduction of the chemical dopamine is made. Dopamine is a very important part of regulating movement, so the lack of dopamine is responsible for the majority of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Who is affected?
It’s been suggested that 1 in 500 people are affected by Parkinson’s disease, the majority being men. Most people only start to notice symptoms once they are over 50; however 1 in 20 people experience symptoms when they are under 40.
How is Parkinson’s disease treated?
Currently there is no cure – yet treatments are there for reliving symptoms and to benefit the individual’s quality of life.
Therapy:
- Physiotherapy
- Speech and language
- Diet
- Occupational
Medication:
- Levodopa
- Dopamine agonists
- Monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors