Parkinsons Disease Essay - 1642 Words

Parkinsons Disease Parkinson’s Disease (PD), the shaking palsy first described by James Parkinson in 1817, is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which affects in upwards of 1.5 million Americans. The disease begins to occur around age 40 and has incidence with patient age. One survey found that PD may affect 1% of the population over 60. Incidence seems to be more prominent in men, and tends to progress to incapacity and death over one or two decades. Clinical diagnosis of PD is currently solely dependent on the presentation of the symptoms by the patient which reflect a deficiency of striatal dopamine caused by the destruction of the cells in the substantia nigra. Imaging and other laboratory techniques can be used to†¦show more content†¦Gastrointestinal dysfunction is probably the most common autonomic problem in PD. Sialorrhea, excessive production of saliva, is a common late symptom seen in Parkinson’s. This is probably due to the lack of autonomic swallowing and is therefore regarded as being due to hypokinesia (Korczyn, 464). In more advanced cases, difficulties in swallowing may need to be alleviated by administration of drugs which liquefy the saliva. Constipation is also a common clinical autonomic symptom. This is often made worse by the use of the anti-Parkinsonian drugs. Weight loss to varying degrees can also accompany the disease. Cardiovascular problems can be seen in PA patients, but these are to a lesser extent than the gastrointestinal problems. Cardiac arrhythmia’s were found in a number of patients, but the most incapacitating cardiovascular symptom is orthostatic hypotension. Interestingly, the hypotension in PD is more common following meals. This hypotension can also be caused by Parkinson drug treatment including Levodopa (Korczyn, 465). These symptoms can be seen in most PD patients, and the pattern by which they appear seems to be quite different from those seen in a normal progressive autonomic failure. The cause of PD is still unknown at this time, although a number of theories are presentlyShow MoreRelatedThe Parkinsons Disease1596 Words   |  6 PagesMany people around the world today suffer from Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. A movement disorder is a disorder impairing the speed, fluency, quality, and ease of movement. There are many types of movement disorders such as impaired fluency and speed of movement (dyskinesia), excessive movements (hyperkinesia), and slurred movements (hypokinesia). Some types of movement disorders are ataxia, a lack of coordination, Huntingtons disease, multiple system atrophies, myoclonus, briefRead MoreThe Parkinsons Disease761 Words   |  3 PagesMathur states that â€Å"Genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger† (Mathur). 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Concepts of PD After watching the video: My father, My Brother, and Me, viewable at www.pbsRead MoreParkinsons Disease Essay1504 Words   |  7 Pages Parkinsons Disease Parkinsons is an idiopathic, multifactorial neurodegenerative disease that attacks neurotransmitters in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine is concentrated in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra. The neurotransmitter dopamine is a chemical that regulates muscle movement and emotion. Dopamine is responsible for relaying messages between the substantia nigra and other parts of the brain to control body movement. The death of these neurotransmitters affectsRead MoreEssay Parkinsons Disease3763 Words   |  16 PagesParkinsons Disease In 1817, James Parkinson published his famous treatise: An Essay on the Shaking Palsy, describing the symptoms which now collectively bear his name. Although many scientists before his time had described various aspects of motor dysfunction (ataxia, paralysis, tremor) Parkinson was the first to collect them into a common syndrome; one which he believed formed a distinctive condition. His sixty-six page essay contained five chapters describing symptoms, differential diagnosesRead MoreEssay on Parkinson’s Disease2135 Words   |  9 PagesParkinson’s Disease Parkinson’s disease is a disease with a wide variety of disabilities recognizable as changes in appearance, posture, walking, and balance. In 1817, the English physician James Parkinson described these symptoms in his patients and has had his name become synonymous with the disease. In 1893 the substantia nigra of the basal ganglia was identified as an area of disease for Parkinson’s. 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