Parkinson’s disease causes deterioration of some parts of the brain and is categorized as an age-related degenerative nervous condition. Its prominent signs include body balance problems, tremors, slowed movements and more. Reasons for this condition in many cases is still unknown but some cases reported that it happens due to genetic inheritance. Parkinson’s disease is not curable but some treatment options can help manage the symptoms of the condition.
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a deterioration of your brain parts leading to more severe symptoms over time, including negative effects on movement, body balance and muscle control. It also affects your mental health by destroying your thinking abilities and senses.
In addition, it is an age-related condition and risks of developing Parkinson’s diseases increases with age. Studies showed that 60 to 65 years is the average age at which it starts. It is more common in males. However, some studies also confirmed that the condition also can happen in younger adults around the age 20 to 25 years old. Though this happens rarely , people having a parent or sibling with the same condition can develop Parkinson’s disease at an early age.
How Common is Parkinson’s Disease?
This is a common condition and affects people all over the world. It is ranked as the second more prevailing age-related degenerative brain disease. It is best known as movement related or motor brain disease. According to research, nearly 2% of people over age 60 are usually affected by the condition around the world.
What are the Effects of the Condition on the Human Body?
basal ganglia is a specific area of your brain and Parkinson’s disease causes deterioration of this area. As deterioration happens, the human body loses the abilities that this area once controlled. According to research, this condition brings a major shift to your brain chemistry.
Studies suggest that under normal conditions, your brain uses neurotransmitters to control the neurons that communicate with each other. But in case of Parkinson’s disease you become deficient in dopamine hormone, which is the most important neurotransmitter.
Your brain normally sends activation signals to your muscles that force them to move. Your body movements are finely tuned by the dopamine neurotransmitter. Hence, the lack of dopamine causes slowed and irregular movements also known as tremors. These are the exact symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. As the disease progresses, the symptoms get intensified and expanded. Its progressive stages often affect how your brain functions, causing severe symptoms like depression and dementia.
Difference between Parkinson’s Disease and Parkinsonism
An umbrella term is used to describe Parkinson’s disease and other symptoms related to brain degeneration, called Parkinsonism. This not only refers to Parkinson’s disease but also linked with other nervous disorders such as corticobasal degeneration or multiple system atrophy.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
Loss of muscle control is the best known symptom of Parkinson’s Disease. However, studies suggest that muscle-control related issues aren’t the only visible symptom of the condition. Symptoms of the condition are classified as:
Motor-Related Symptoms
Movement-related symptoms of the conditions include:
Unstable Walking Gait or Posture: Parkinson’s disease is characterized as slowed movements that causes a hunched over or stooped stance. This happens with the increase of severity of the symptoms. It is usually clearly visible when you walk because you use short shuffling strides and move your legs and arms abruptly. You may take several steps while turning around.
Stiffness or Rigidity: Parkinson’s disease is best known for its symptoms including Lead-pipe rigidity and cogwheel stiffness. A constant, unchanging stiffness during movement of your body parts is called lead-pipe rigidity while the combination of lead-pipe rigidity and tremors known as cogwheel stiffness. It is named because of the jerky stop-and-go appearance of the movements.
Slowed Movements: It is the most easily diagnosed symptom of the condition. It happens due to muscle weakness or muscle control issues. But there is no actual loss of strength.
Tremors: Rhythmic shaking of muscles even when your muscles are at rest and you’re not using them. It happens in about 90% of the patients with the condition. Tremors happening in Parkinson’s disease are called resting tremors which are totally different from essential tremors which occur when muscles are in working condition.
Additional symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are:
Drooling, a symptom that occurs because of loss of facial muscle control.
Blinking Less than Usual, this is also a symptom of reduced control of facial muscles.
Unusually soft speaking voice, which happens due to reduced muscle control of chest and throat muscles.
Cramped or Small Handwriting, a symptom of Parkinson’s disease which is called micrographia. This is also another effect of muscle control problems.
Mask-like Facial Expression, known as hypomimia. This refers to very little or not at all facial expressions.
Trouble Swallowing happens due to reduced throat muscle control. Such symptoms also increase the risk of choking and pneumonia.
Non-Motor Symptoms
Parkinson’s disease also shows some symptoms which are not linked with muscle control of movement issues. A few years ago, people believed that non-motor symptoms were the risk factors for the condition but nowadays the researchers have changed the concept. They said they have collected a number of pieces of evidence which could help prove that non-motor symptoms appear in the earliest stages of the disease. This theory explains that these symptoms might work as warning signs that inform you about the start of motor-symptoms years or decades before they appear.
Some common non-motor symptoms are jotted below:
- Parkinson’s related dementia, including trouble focusing and thinking.
- Sleep problems, like restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, behavior disorder, rapid eye movement.
- Autonomic nervous system issues, such as constipation, sexual dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and orthostatic hypotension, the condition when you experience low blood pressure while standing up.
- Loss of sense of smell (anosmia).
- Depression and anxiety.
Causes of Parkinson’s Disease
The most obvious risk factors for the condition are exposure to pesticides and genetic inheritance. However, researchers claimed that this is not a genetic condition. Experts have ranked it as an “Idiopathic” disorder meaning a disease happens of its own. This statement clears that experts and medical researchers do not exactly know why the condition happens.
In addition, several diseases look like Parkinson’s disease but actually they are not Parkinson’s disease but instead Parkinsonism. This means such diseases are Parkinson’s disease-like psychiatric conditions. The Parkinson’s diseases-like brain conditions include:
Familial Parkinson’s Disease
The familial cause means the patient has inherited the condition from one or both of their parents. Studies show that this cause covers only about 15% of all cases. In addition, experts also said that seven different genes are associated with Parkinson’s disease. They have revealed that three of those have linked with early onset of the condition meaning at younger age than usual. However, studies also confirmed that mutations are also associated with unique distinguishing factors.
Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease
Experts explained through research that your body has a unique protein called alpha-synuclein. Problems with the use of alpha-synuclein is the major cause of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. They also said that the proteins are chemical molecules that have a very specific shape. the denaturation of their specific shape, known as protein misfolding, can unable your body to break them and use them properly.
In addition, tangles or clumps forming in these proteins, called lewy bodies, can cause toxic effects in your body and cell damage. However, protein misfolding is also associated with some other nervous disorders like Huntington’s disease, multiple forms of amyloidosis, and Alzheimer disease.
Induced Parkinsonism
This is not true Parkinson’s disease but there are circumstances, experts have linked to Parkinsonism. This condition has similar symptoms to Parkinson’s disease. Most healthcare providers consider these similar causes while diagnosing the condition. The possible causes include:
Damage from Injuries: Head injuries, such as those from contact sports or high-impact like boxing, hockey, football, etc can cause brain damage. This is also known as post-traumatic Parkinsonism.
Medications: Some medications also cause Parkinson’s-like effects. These effects are often temporary if you stop taking these medications that caused them before the effects become permanent. However, the effects usually linger for weeks after you stop taking medications.
Poisons and Toxins: Exposure to toxic substances like fumes from pesticides or welding, manganese dust, and carbon monoxide can lead to Parkinsonism.
Encephalitis: inflammation in parts of the brain can lead to Parkinsonism.
Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is usually diagnosed through a clinical process. It totally relies on the examination done by your doctor. Your healthcare provider may ask questions and review your medical history to diagnose the condition. Some lab tests are also used for this purpose.
When your healthcare provider suspect Parkinson’s disease, they may ask for the following lab tests for the accurate diagnosis:
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan.
- Genetic Testing.
- Blood Tests.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
- Computed Tomography (CT) scan.
In addition researchers have found two advanced forms of lab tests for finding possible indicators of Parkinson’s disease. These new tests involve alpha-synuclein protein but tests for it are done in an unusual way.
The new tests have following methods:
Skin Biopsy: This test involves biopsy of surface nerve tissue. The biopsy includes collecting a sample of your skin. Doctors take samples from a spot on your back and two spots on your leg. Analysis of the samples can help determine alpha-synuclein malfunctioning which could increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Spinal Tap: This test looks for misfolded alpha-synuclein protein in cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid has surrounded your brain and spinal cord. A spinal tap or lumbar punctures one to collect a sample from your cerebrospinal fluid for testing.
Treatment and Management of the Condition
Although Parkinson’s disease isn’t curable, healthcare providers and experts have devised some ways to manage its symptoms. The treatment or management options also vary from person to person, depending on their symptoms.
Studies show that medications are used as the primary way to treat the condition. The secondary option is implantation of a device through surgery that delivers a mild electrical current to a defected part of your brain (known as deep brain stimulation). Along these options some experimental ways are also considered good for the treatment of the condition. These experimental options include stem-cell based treatments but they are not easily available and some of them don’t work for many patients.
Medications
Two categories of medications are found for treatment of Parkinson’s disease
- Direct Treatment: These medications target Parkinson’s itself.
- Symptom Treatment: These medications treat only effects of the disease.
Medications that directly treat Parkinson’s disease, perform the function in the following ways:
Adding Dopamine: Medications increase the level of dopamine in your brain. This is the most effective way. But if it does work, it ensures that you have another form of Parkinsonism rather than Parkinson’s disease. But long-term use of such medications leads to several side effects that makes it less beneficial.
Adenosine Blockers: Medications block cells using adenosine can have supporting effects if used along with levodopa.
Levodopa Metabolism Inhibitors: These medications slow down the rate of processing levodopa in your body. These medications should be used carefully because their toxic effects can cause damage to your liver.
Dopamine Metabolism Blockers: Your body can naturally breakdown specific neurotransmitters including dopamine. Medications that help your body to break down dopamine allow large quantities of dopamine available to your brain. Such medications work more effectively when used with levodopa in later stages of Parkinson’s disease.
Deep Brain Stimulation
This surgery is used to implant a device to deliver old electrical current to the affected areas of your brain. Deep brain stimulation is also reversible. However, intentional scarring can damage part of the brain. This treatment is a good option for treatment in later stages of the condition. When medication treatment becomes less effective, healthcare providers suggest this way of treatment especially for the people who have tremors.
Experimental treatments
Struggle or exploring more effective ways to treat the condition, led the researchers to the path where they found experimental ways. These treatment ways are not widely available but do offer hope to people with this condition. Some of these treatment options include:
Neuron-Repair Treatments: In this option,damaged neurons are repaired and formation of new neurons are encouraged.
Stem-Cell Transplants: This is the addition of new dopamine-using neurons into your brain to take over for damaged ones.
Gene-Targeted Treatments: Specific mutations that cause Parkinson’s disease are targeted in this method. Such treatments also boost the effectiveness of other treatments like levodopa.
Conclusion
Parkinson’s disease is a brain degenerative condition that is more likely to happen to people with older age. Although Parkinson’s Disease is not curable , experts have devised some effective treatment ways for the condition. These potions increase surgery to implant brain-stimulation devices, medications and exceptional ways of treatments.
These advancements of treatment options have proved a blessing for the patients of the condition as they reduce the severity of symptoms to help the people live for years or even decades with this condition.
