What is Parkinson's Disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, more specifically a movement disorder, that affects the cells of the brain that control muscle movement. These cells, located deep in a section of the brain called the substantia nigra, produce an important neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine is important because it is the chemical messenger used to send signals from the brain to the muscles to complete smooth, coordinated movements. When 80% of these dopamine-producing cells have died, symptoms of Parkinson’s disease appear. The cause of death of these dopamine-producing cells is still unknown.
Who Gets Parkinson's Disease?
It is estimated that approximately 1 million individuals are currently living in the United States with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, and 7 million worldwide. Parkinson’s is now the fastest growing neurodegenerative disorder in the world. Estimates also show that that there are 90,000 Americans newly diagnosed each year, or one person every six minutes. Parkinson’s disease affects men and women in equal numbers and shows no preference to ethnicity, race or socioeconomic status. While the average age of onset is age 55, 15% of those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease are under the age of 50.
What are the Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease?
Primary symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease include: tremor, muscle rigidity, postural instability, and slowness of movement Secondary symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease include: sleep disturbances, depression, reduced arm swing, anxiety, decreased facial expression, changes in speech, small cramped handwriting, changes in swallowing, cognitive changes, loss of ability to smell, and constipation.
How is Parkinson's Disease Diagnosed?
There is no definitive test to diagnose Parkinson’s disease, making obtaining an accurate diagnosis difficult. A skilled, experienced neurologist can provide a diagnosis based on a thorough neurological examination and clinical observation. The physician may run other tests, such as blood work or a MRI. These are done to rule out other disorders with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s.
Newer options like DaTscan assesses dopamine producing neurons in the brain to help distinguish between Parkinson’s and other disorders with similar symptoms. Skin biopsies are being used to identify the disease by detecting misfolded proteins in cutaneous nerves providing pathological evidence to aid in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with clinical features suggestive of a synucleinopathy, including Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and related disorders. However, at the present time there is no definitive test to diagnose Parkinson’s.
How is Parkinson's Disease Treated?
Since there is no known cure for Parkinson’s, physicians and individuals with Parkinson’s are using medications as the primary treatment for the symptoms of the disease. Research is showing that a combination of medications and exercise therapy is the most appropriate way to treat Parkinson’s. With all of the Parkinson’s medications available, there are many approaches that can be used for treating PD. As the disease progresses, an individual may require more medications in order to control advancing symptoms of the disease, making life more challenging. At this time, there are multiple treatment options that can be used, and in multiple combinations, depending on the individual’s symptoms and needs. When appropriate, the individual may explore other options including a surgical intervention, such as Deep Brain Stimulation, or Focused Ultrasound as the next step in treatment.