Parkinson's disease

What it is?

Parkinson's disease affects approximately one in every hundred people over the age of sixty. Famous figures such as boxer Muhammad Ali, politician Yasser Arafat and Pope John Paul II have fallen victim to the disease, which causes shaking in the hands, difficulty walking and, in severe cases, death. This disease was first described by the English physician James Parkinson in 1817 in his Essay on Shaking Palsy. Even then, he identified some of the distinctive external features of this disease. These are, for example, characteristic movements of the fingers - “counting coins”, which in appearance really resemble counting money, and the specific stooped posture of the petitioner.

Why does this happen?

It is now known that Parkinson's disease occurs due to a disruption in the production of dopamine, a substance that serves to transmit impulses in the brain. This leads to changes in cells in the parts of the brain responsible for human movements. Predisposition to this disease can be inherited. When faced with the manifestation of symptoms of Parkinson's disease, one must take into account that some of them can be caused by other causes, such as encephalitis, excessive medication, and cerebral atherosclerosis. Even several cases of severe parkinsonism have been described in young drug addicts who took synthetic heroin.

What's happening?

The appearance of the first symptoms of the disease usually goes unnoticed. Often, for the first time, relatives and friends of a person notice a decrease in facial expression and slowness of movements, especially when dressing, eating and walking. Subsequently, the person himself notes a decrease in manual dexterity, especially when performing fine movements. Impaired writing, difficulty brushing teeth, shaving, etc. occur. A person’s facial expressions become poorer, he blinks less often, and his face becomes mask-like.

It is typical that a person who is unable to walk independently can easily run up the stairs, can dance, and ski. Slow walking may suddenly give way to fast running, which the patient is unable to overcome until he falls or encounters an obstacle.

Turning in bed is significantly difficult; getting up from a chair or low chair is a problem. Due to impaired mobility of the pharyngeal muscles, swallowing movements become less frequent, which causes the development of drooling.

Diagnosis

Mandatory symptoms of Parkinson's disease include stiffness of movement (hypokinesia), trembling that occurs at rest (resting tremor), and later balance disorders and problems with walking. With this disease, it is extremely important to start treatment as early as possible, therefore, at the first appearance of symptoms, you should contact a neurologist.

Treatment

The main drug that slows the development of this disease is currently levodopa (levodopa), but its use causes a number of side effects. However, it is encouraging that in recent years there has been active research into the possibilities of surgical treatment of Parkinson’s disease by transplanting cells capable of producing dopamine into a sick person.