Parkinson's Disease and its affect on society
Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease, also known as idiopathic or primary Parkinsonism, hypokinetic rigid syndrome/HRS, or paralysis agitans is a problem in the nerve cells. According to the Parkinson’s disease Foundation the nerve cells start to break down and die, which leads to the loss of neurons that produce a chemical messenger in the brain called dopamine. When the dopamine is gone it causes abnormal brain activity, which leads to Parkinson’s. Dopamine sends signals to the part of the brain that controls movement. It lets your muscles move smoothly and do what you want them to do. When you have Parkinson’s, these nerve cells break down causing an individual to have trouble moving the way they want to. Doctors haven’t officially found out the cause, but they believe the disease is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. While they believe that genes could be a small factor to the cause of the disease, they also think there are some environmental triggers such as exposure to a toxin or injury. More research still needs to be done in order to determine the cause of this disease. Parkinson’s is a chronic and slowly progressive disease. The symptoms continue and worsen over a period of years and the progression varies with each individual. Movement symptoms vary from person to person as well as the rate at which they progress. Some of the symptoms are more bothersome at different times of the day depending on what the person normally does during the day. The major symptoms of Parkinson’s include muscle stiffness or rigidity; tremors; bradykinesia, or the slowing down of movement and the gradual loss of spontaneous movement; changes in walking pattern and posture; changes in speech and handwriting; and loss of balance and increased falls. Diagnosing Parkinson’s is very difficult due to the fact that early symptoms may be difficult to assess and may mimic other
Parkinson’s disease, also known as idiopathic or primary Parkinsonism, hypokinetic rigid syndrome/HRS, or paralysis agitans is a problem in the nerve cells. According to the Parkinson’s disease Foundation the nerve cells start to break down and die, which leads to the loss of neurons that produce a chemical messenger in the brain called dopamine. When the dopamine is gone it causes abnormal brain activity, which leads to Parkinson’s. Dopamine sends signals to the part of the brain that controls movement. It lets your muscles move smoothly and do what you want them to do. When you have Parkinson’s, these nerve cells break down causing an individual to have trouble moving the way they want to. Doctors haven’t officially found out the cause, but they believe the disease is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. While they believe that genes could be a small factor to the cause of the disease, they also think there are some environmental triggers such as exposure to a toxin or injury. More research still needs to be done in order to determine the cause of this disease. Parkinson’s is a chronic and slowly progressive disease. The symptoms continue and worsen over a period of years and the progression varies with each individual. Movement symptoms vary from person to person as well as the rate at which they progress. Some of the symptoms are more bothersome at different times of the day depending on what the person normally does during the day. The major symptoms of Parkinson’s include muscle stiffness or rigidity; tremors; bradykinesia, or the slowing down of movement and the gradual loss of spontaneous movement; changes in walking pattern and posture; changes in speech and handwriting; and loss of balance and increased falls. Diagnosing Parkinson’s is very difficult due to the fact that early symptoms may be difficult to assess and may mimic other