Parkinson's Disease - A Quick Guide

Here we are discussing a disease that around fifty thousand Americans are diagnosed with every year. That disease is Parkinson's disease. Usually its people over 60 that are diagnosed with this, but people can get it before the age of 40. Once you get over the age of about 60, Parkinson's will be on the radar of doctors when new symptoms appear that are indicative of the disease. According to one piece of research Parkinsons is more prevalent in men than in women.

This disease is an incurable disease affecting the patient's nervous system where the neuro-transmitters inside the brain start to malfunction, causing shaking in the body and limbs that gets progressively more pronounced as time goes by. Other symptoms include slowing of movement and rigidity of muscles. Non-tremor symptoms of Parkinson's can include relative immobility of body sections particularly the face which can be seen as a blank look or mask-like lack of expression. When brain cells deteriorate, one outcome is Parkinson's disease

This degenerative disorder is not passed genetically, nor is it contagious and very little information is known about what causes this condition. Having said all that, Parkinson's has been known to be brought on by severe drug abuse or certain types of head injury. Strangely, according to research, cigarette smokers appear to have less of a chance of developing Parkinson's disease, which has led experts to believe the probability that nicotine has some protective qualities against the fluctuations caused by Parkinson's disease. So smoking has a benefit after all.

The latest news is that new treatments for Parkinson's disease are at the leading edge of current studies, with experiments being carried out with stem cells and gene therapy.

The diagnosis of Parkinson's is a distressing time for any patient and anybody close to them. As a progressive condition, patients suffering with the condition have to come to terms with the fact that there is no hope of recovery, but rather a gradual process of loss of movement and co-ordination. An early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is vital to the patient being able to keep some independence, and a decent quality of life for a reasonable length of time.