Parkinson's Disease Research Paper

Causes and Effects of Parkinson 's Disease
Name

ENG 124

College of Health Sciences, Bahrain

Date

Abstract
Understanding Parkinson’s disease would help those who have to deal with and take care of the patients. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the literature regarding this disease. The paper discusses what Parkinson’s disease is and what the causes and effects are. Furthermore, The paper contends that lack of dopamine, genetic and environmental factors can lead to Parkinson’s disease and that the effects of disease include physical, emotional and social effects. Finally, the writer concludes with some suggested treatment for Parkinson’s disease.

Causes and Effects of Parkinson’s
Disease Parkinson’s disease is a disorder that affects nerve cells and it is characterized by progressive loss of muscle control. Jankovic (2007) explained that “Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder characterised by a large number of motor and non-motor features that can impact on function to a variable degree”( para1) .The progression of this disease vary from person to person . For example, many people with Parkinson’s disease live long lives, while others become disabled very quickly. According to the article” Parkinson’s Disease” (n.d ) , the author stated that” Parkinson 's disease occurs in approximately 1% of individuals aged 60 years and in about 4% of those aged 80 years”( para 3). Lack of dopamine, genetic factors and environmental factors are the main causes of Parkinson’s disease. The effects of this disease include physical, mental and social effects.
Causes of Parkinson’s Disease include
Lack of Dopamine
Lack of dopamine is the major cause of Parkinson’s disease. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain which acts as messenger between substantia nigra and the corpus striatum area to control and coordinate muscles activity. Moreover, when the amount of dopamine is very low, communication between the substantia nigra and corpus striatum becomes useless, and movement becomes impaired. Without dopamine, the nerve cells in that part of the brain cannot send messages properly and this leads to the loss of muscle function.

Genetic Factors
Genetic factors can cause Parkinson’s disease. It has been demonstrated that 5-10% of people with Parkinson’s disease have a genetic tendency. Grosset et al (2009) mentioned that “if individual has a family history of PD, the risk of developing PD is doubled compared to the rate in the background population” (p.12 ) . In addition, Parkinson 's disease can run in families and in this situation abnormal genes are responsible. However, it is thought that in most cases genetics is not only responsible for Parkinson’s disease and there needs to be an environmental factor to trigger it in genetically susceptible people.
Environmental Factors Parkinson’s disease can develop due to environmental factors.
Some scientists have suggested that Parkinson 's disease may result from exposure to an environmental toxin or injury. In addition, there are some studies which demonstrate that prolonged occupational exposure to certain chemicals is associated with a high risk of Parkinson’s disease. These chemicals include pesticides and herbicides that used in farming. Beside, toxins released by industrial plants and the air pollution related to road traffic can result in Parkinson’s disease .For example , the drug users who injected themselves with a substance similar to a pesticide instead of heroin develop symptoms similar to Parkinson 's. Allan ( n.d ) suggested that the environmental cause of Parkinson’s disease include welding fumes and chemicals of various sorts, well water and heavy metals and the developing of disease depend on exposure to these
toxins.

Effects of Parkinson’s Disease
Physical Effects When the phrase "Parkinson 's disease" is mentioned the majority of people will automatically think about the physical effects. Physical effects of this disease include tremors, the loss of mobility and other motor impairments. Also, when this disease becomes advanced, some problems may occur such as difficulty with urination, impaired performance of activities of daily living and weight loss. Moreover, the rigidity of muscle is affected by this disease. For example, while reaching for a glass of water, the arm may jerk back and forth throughout the entire movement. Kyle (2010 ) stated that some people who have Parkinson’s disease suffer from constipation and bowel dysfunction that can lead to social isolation.
Mental Effects
Parkinson’s disease leads to mental effects.
Parkinson’s disease causes an extreme anxiety for the person. Some researches explain how the diagnosis of Parkinson 's disease causes extreme anxiety for patients. For example, a person facing this diagnosis may suffer from regular disturbing thoughts filled with fear of the future. Furthermore, depression is another psychological effect of Parkinson 's disease. Depression is a common psychological symptom of Parkinson 's disease. According to the article” Coping with Parkinson’s Disease”, the author reported that depression occurring with 50% of people who have this disease and the medications that use with Parkinson’s disease can help in developing depression (n.d). Depressed patients are unable to experience pleasure and lose appetite for food or sex. Wang (2010) reported that” they may develop trouble with planning, making decisions and controlling their
emotions”(para3).

Social Effects Parkinson’s disease can affect the social life for the patient. For example, a person with Parkinson’s disease has difficulties in communication with others .Also, patients may have mask-like face and soft voice and all these limit the person 's ability to socialize . A growing dependence on others, and negative stigma about the illness from the community all lead to social isolation. McNamara (March, 2009) claimed that a person’s relationships with his/her friends, family and colleagues can change so, he/she must have some say in the matter.
Conclusion
The causes of Parkinson’s disease include lack of dopamine, genetic factors and environmental factors. The effects of Parkinson’s disease are physical, mental and social effects. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that progresses slowly in most people. Therefore, patients with Parkinson’s disease should take drugs to alleviate the symptoms of the disease. It is also helpful for a Parkinson 's sufferer to participate in activities that hold their interest as well as physical or mental activities. Having joyful experiences can rapidly keep away any depressive feelings, and mental exercises will help keep the brain functions normally for longer. Schwarz (2006) suggested that doing exercises such as walking and swimming as a part of lifestyle might help improve the quality of life. It also helps to reduce the complications of disease. In addition, patients must adjust their lifestyle and eat healthy food. Taking regular rest period and avoiding stress are also helpful for patients.

References
Allan, K. ( n.d ). Causes of Parkinson 's disease, and the mercury connection. Retrieved on December 27, 2012 from http://home.cogeco.ca/~allan/causes.html
Coping with Parkinson 's disease .( n.d ). Retrieved on December 27, 2012 from http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Programs-and-Services/Neurology/Treatments-and-Programs/Movement-Disorders-Program/Coping-with-Parkinsons-Disease.aspx Grosset,D., Grosset,K., Okun,M., &Fernandez,H. (2009). Parkinson 's disease: clinican 's desk reference. London: Manson Publishing Ltd.
Jankovic, J . (2007, September 3). Parkinson’s disease: clinical features and diagnosis. Journal of
Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry with Practical Neurology, 79( 4 ), 368.

Kyle,G. ( 2010, August 23 ). The physical, social and emotional effects of bowel dysfunction in
Parkinson’s disease. Retrieved on December 27, 2012 from http://www.nursingtimes.net/the-physical-social-and-emotional-effects-of-bowel-dysfunction-in-parkinsons-disease/5018511.article
Schwarz,S.( 2006 ). Parkinson 's disease: 300 tips for making life easier. New York:
Demos Medical Publishing LLC.
Wang, C. ( 2010, August 10 ). How Parkinson 's alters the brain. Retrieved on December27, 2012
From http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703748904575411662795000790.html