Parkinson's Disease

1. Genetic Disorders
A disease caused by an abnormality in an individuals DNA is known as a genetic disorder. The abnormalities can range from being a very small single-base mutation in just one gene or it could be because the lack of a chromosome or maybe even one too many. Occasionally, these aforementioned abnormalities can lead to something as serious as cancer, while others lead to various other health conditions. Genetic disorders can be heritable or non-heritable, meaning it can be acquired during the life of a person.
There are many different types of disorders for example: single-gene disorders, autosomal dominant and recessive and X-linked dominant. A single-gene disorder is caused by a single mutated gene. Single-gene disorders
can be transferred from generation to generation many different ways. Many diseases are caused by single-gene defects.
The next type is an autosomal dominant disorder. An autosomal dominant disorder is caused by one mutated copy of the gene. Each affected person usually has one parent who has the disease so the chance a child will inherit the mutated gene is 50%. Two copies of the gene must be changed for a person to be affected by an autosomal recessive disorder. An affected person usually has parents who don’t have the disease but each carry a copy of the diseased gene. The parents in this situation are called carriers. Two carriers of the mutated gene have a 25% risk with each pregnancy of having a child who will have the genetic disorder.
Mutations in the genes on the X chromosome are called X-linked dominant disorders. This is a very rare occurrence because only a few disorders have this inheritance pattern. An example of an X-linked dominant disorder would be rickets. Males and females can both be affected in these disorders, however, men would suffer more severely from them.
2. Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson's disease is a very progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects mostly movement.
It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. While a tremor is usually a telltale sign of Parkinson’s, it can also cause stiffness or slowing of movement which are lesser known symptoms. When Parkinson’s disease first sets in, one’s face shows little to no expression, and their arms will not swing when they walk. The symptoms worsen as the conditions progress over time and one’s speech may start to become softer or slurred. Although Parkinson's disease can not be cured, medication can drastically improve the symptoms. In more serious or progressed cases, a doctor may recommend surgery to help one live their life more comfortably and to improve the
symptoms.
Basically, Parkinson’s affects the way one moves because there is a problem with certain nerve cells in the brain. What happens is these nerve cells that produce dopamine for the brain are not producing enough to normally function. Dopamine is an important chemical that sends signals to the part of the brain that control movement. When someone has Parkinson's, these dopamine-producing nerve cells break down causing lesser amounts of the chemical to be produced thus giving one difficulty moving the way they want to. Parkinson's gets worse over time very slowly over many years. Luckily, there are good treatments that can help you live a happy life.
3. History of Parkinson’s
Parkinson's is a condition that has been known about since ancient times.
In the ancient Indian medical system of Ayurveda it is known as Kampavata and in Western medical literature it was described as “shaking palsy.” However, it was not until 1817 that a doctor named James Parkinson wrote an informative medical essay on the disease. It was called "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy". The writing was based on six cases he observed and its main purpose was to serve as motivation for other doctors and scientists to continue studying the disease and further the research in it. This established Parkinson's disease as a recognized medical condition. It wasn’t until about 60 years after it was published when a French neurologist, Jean Charcot, truly recognized the importance of Parkinson's work and named the disease after
him.
Although there is a lot more information and knowledge of Parkinson’s today, much still remains a mystery. Much has been learned about the disease yet much remains a mystery. Levodopa was first drug to be administered to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s and has become the "gold standard" in medication. This medication first came out in the 1960’s and since that time research has continued to progress very quickly. The Parkinson's Disease Foundation was established in America in 1957 to help those who have Parkinson’s and to fund and promote further research. This is just one of the now many other foundations that have been established.