Parkinson’s disease is a progressive and degenerative brain disorder that affects an individual’s muscle movement. Due to the dying of specific brain cells, people with Parkinson’s disease produce less dopamine. Dopamine is a vital chemical that transmits messages to the part of the brain responsible for movement. With insufficient dopamine movements become slower, and the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease become more pronounced.
Parkinson’s Disease Statistics
• Parkinson’s disease generally affects individuals over age 60.
• 1,000,000 Americans are living with Parkinson’s disease.
• 17,000 Coloradoans have Parkinson’s disease.
• 4% of all individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s are under age 50.
• Men are more likely to have Parkinson’s disease than women.
• $25 Billion – The annual cost of Parkinson’s disease to the United States
Causes
While the exact cause of Parkinson’s disease is not known, experts suspect it may be a combination of genetic and environment factors. Age is considered a risk factor.
Genetics and Parkinson’s
A number of gene mutations that have been associated with the development of Parkinson’s disease including mutations in the parkin, PINK1, LRRK2 DJ-1 and glucocerebrosdase. Although genetics may be a contributing factor the majority of Parkinson’s cases are not genetically related. If you have a parent or sibling with Parkinson’s, you have a slightly higher risk of getting PD.
Environment and Parkinson’s
Studies indicate that environmental toxins may contribute to Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, there is a higher incidence of Parkinson’s in rural communities with well water that may have a heavy concentration of manganese and pesticides. Prolonged exposure to some chemicals may elevate the risk of PD.
• Insecticides – permethrin and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH)
• Herbicides – paraquat and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
• Fungicide – maneb.
• Agent Orange
Limited exposure to environmental toxins doesn’t cause Parkinson’s. There is no conclusive evidence that environmental factors alone cause PD.
Symptoms & Signs
Signs of Parkinson’s disease include motor and no-motor symptoms. Each person with Parkinson’s experiences the disease differently. While tremors are a common primary symptom not all people with PD have tremors. Additional, symptoms and disease progress at different rates between individuals.
Primary Symptoms of Parkinson’s
Tremor – Tremors occur in about 70% of those living with Parkinson’s. At first, the tremor appears on one side of the body in the hand or foot while relaxed or at rest.
Slowness of Movement (Bradykinesia) – Individuals with Parkinson’s disease may experience a change in spontaneous movement that causes a person with Parkinson’s to respond slowly and often lack facial expressions (masked face).
Rigidity – Muscles may fail to relax like normal muscles causing the individual to appear rigid and have a decreased range of motion. Rigidity may be painful.
Postural Instability – Loss of some reflexes needed to maintain a normal posture may cause individuals to be unstable when standing upright. Postural instability increases the likelihood of falling.
Secondary motor symptoms include:
• Problems with speech and voice
• Incontinence
• Difficulty swallowing
• Freezing
Non-motor symptoms of PD include:
• Excessive sweating – especially of hands and feet
• Constipation
• Dry skin
• Mood changes – anxiety and depression
• Cognitive changes
• Sleep disturbances
• Hyper sexuality or low sex drive
• Frequent urination and incontinence
The symptoms someone has and how quickly the condition develops will differ from one person to the next. Always consult your doctor to determine if the symptoms you’re experiencing may be a sign of Parkinson’s disease or a sign of other health issues.
Sources: https://www.parkinsonrockies.org/what-is-parkinsons; https://www.parkinsonrockies.org/symptoms
