By Dave Warner
Parkinson’s Disease, named for a British doctor who wrote about it in the 19th century, is a chronic condition for which there are treatments, but no cure.
The plight of Parkinson’s victims was dramatized in the 2010 movie “Love and Other Drugs” with actress Anne Hathaway portraying a young woman with the disease.
In a sense, her role was atypical in that Parkinson’s tends to strike older people more often than those under 50. Indeed, the average age for the onset of Parkinson’s is 60. Moreover, the risk of getting Parkinson’s tends to grow as people age.
Hathaway’s character did, however, display one of the primary symptoms of Parkinson’s – trembling. In her case, it was in her hands, but trembling can also show up in arms, legs or jaw.
Here are some other symptoms:
- Stiffness in limbs or the trunk of the body, called rigidity.
- Slowness of movement, called bradykinesa.
- Impaired balance.
According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, some 1 million people in the United States are living with the condition. Other estimates say about 50,000 people a year are diagnosed with it.
Scientists know that Parkinson’s shows up when certain brain cells die. Those cells are critical to the production of dopamine, which transmits information to the brain that regulates information about movement and coordination. Simply put, the lack of dopamine means the death of brain cells, the brain gets the information more slowly than it used to, and victims can no longer function as they once did.
While the disease is wrapped in some mystery, researchers know a fair amount about it:
- More men than women get it, 50 percent more.
- While the average age when it begins to show up is 60, somewhere between 5 and 10 percent of its victims are under 50.
- Nobody knows why, but people in rural areas are at greater risk.
- Some 15 to 25 percent of its victims have a relative with the disease.
Even the diagnosis of the disease is difficult. For one thing, there are no tests to determine if you have it, or not. For another, doctors sometimes believe it’s Parkinson’s when it’s not, and vice versa.
How treatments can help
The best medical science can do now is to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s while a cure remains elusive.
Here are some of the primary treatments:
- Drug therapy that attempts to increase the amount of dopamine in the brain. The most common drug is called levodopa, also known as L-dopa. It can have some nasty side effects, including nausea, low blood pressure, restlessness and drowsiness. Still, overall, it is considered to be very effective.
- A technique called deep brain stimulation in which an electrode is implanted in the brain. It can put a halt to many Parkinson’s symptoms.
- Physical therapy, which can help with walking, speech and tremors.
- Exercise, which can help with flexibility and mobility as well as emotional well being.
Tell Us What You Think Of This Story. Share your comments below.
SCHEDULE A SCREENING
Sources: