What Causes Parkinson Disease?
First of all let’s define what is Parkinson Disease. According to the National Institute of Health www.nih.gov/parkinsondisease:
Parkinson Disease is a brain disorder that leads to shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with walking, balance, and coordination. It currently affects about half a million people in the United States, although the numbers may be much higher. Parkinson’s disease is both chronic, meaning it lasts for a long time, and progressive, meaning its symptoms grow worse over time. It is not contagious.
Parkinson’s disease occurs when nerve cells, or neurons, in an area of the brain that controls movement die or become impaired. Normally, these neurons produce an important brain chemical known as dopamine, but when the neurons die or become impaired, they produce less dopamine. This shortage of dopamine causes the movement problems of people with Parkinson’s.
Parkinson signs and symptoms varies with each person affected by it. Parkinson’s disease does not affect everyone the same way. Symptoms of the disorder and the rate of progression differ among people with the disease. Sometimes people dismiss early symptoms of Parkinson’s as the effects of normal aging. There are no tests to diagnose the disease, so it can be difficult to diagnose accurately.
Although there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, medicines and surgery can often provide dramatic relief from the symptoms. However, there are limits to the effectiveness of these therapies, and scientists are working to find better ways to treat the disease. Research on Parkinson’s disease is very active, and scientists are making great progress in understanding and treating the disease. Recent advances in areas such as genetics, drug therapy, and brain stimulation offer hope that some day it may be possible to cure the disease, delay its onset, or prevent it altogether.
Medications for Parkinson’s fall into three groups. The first group includes drugs that increase the level of dopamine in the brain. The second group affects other neurotransmitters in the body in order to ease some of the symptoms of the disease. The third group includes medications that help control non-motor symptoms (those that do not affect movement) of Parkinson’s.
The main therapy for Parkinson’s is the drug levodopa, also called L-dopa. It is a simple chemical found naturally in plants and animals. Nerve cells use levodopa to make dopamine to replenish the brain’s dwindling supply. People cannot simply take dopamine pills because dopamine does not easily pass through the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is a lining of cells inside blood vessels that controls the transport of oxygen, glucose, and other substances into the brain.
Usually, people take levodopa along with another medication called carbidopa. Carbidopa delays the body’s conversion of levodopa into dopamine until the levodopa reaches the brain. This prevents or reduces some of the side effects that often accompany levodopa therapy. Carbidopa also reduces the amount of levodopa needed.
Levodopa successfully reduces the tremors and other symptoms of Parkinson’s during the early stages of the disease. It allows most people with Parkinson’s to extend the period of time in which they can lead relatively normal, productive lives.
However, not all symptoms respond equally to levodopa. It usually helps most with bradykinesia (slowness of movement) and rigidity. Problems with balance and other non-motor symptoms may not be helped at all.
People with Parkinson’s disease often see dramatic improvement in their symptoms after starting levodopa therapy. However, they may need to increase the dose gradually over time to maintain maximum benefit.
Levodopa is often so effective that some people may temporarily forget they have Parkinson’s during the early stages of the disease. But levodopa is not a cure. Although it can reduce the symptoms, it does not replace lost nerve cells or stop the gradual loss of brain cells that causes the disease.
Sarasota, Florida will have its Annual Suncoast Parkinson Disease Symposium on January 22, 2011. The symposium will discuss the Advances in Treatment of Parkinson Disease. It is a community education event for patients, caregivers, healthcare providers and the community, sponsored by Sarasota Memorial and the Neuro Challenge Foundation.
For more information visit www.neurochallenge.org or www.smh.com
RIGHT ACCORD Private Duty-Home Health Care specializes in Parkinson Care through intensive training and certification of its caregivers. Caring are provided by certified home health aides and nursing assistants who understand the needs and care of Parkinson clients. Services are provided in-home or in- facility setting in Sarasota, Venice, Longboat Key, Lakewood Ranch, Siesta Key, Nokomis and its neighboring towns. For a free in-home care assessment, call 941.366.0801.
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