Parkinson

About Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disease affecting the central nervous system, it usually starts after 60 years. People with Parkinson's disease suffer from motor difficulties. With the progression of the disease, the patient's ability to manage the activities of daily life is severely impaired.

The symptoms of Parkinson's disease are due to the loss of neurons in the brain regions involved in motor control as well as in other regions that affect mood, sleep and reflection.
The exact cause of the degeneration of neurons is still unknown, but scientists agree that a combination of genetic, environmental and aging  factors plays an important role.

Symptoms 

The classic symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, called the unrest or disorder "engines" (concerning the movement), contain tremors, slow movements, muscle rigidity and balance problems. This driving discomfort is often accompanied by non-engines symptoms, for example depression, dementia, pain, sleep disturbances and the vegetative system (digestion, blood pressure etc. ).  Together, these problems represent a heavy burden for patients.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disease, with the time of new symptoms appear and the existing problems are getting worse. However, this is not a disease that suddenly brings to death - the sufferers can without other still live from 15 to 25 years after the diagnosis - what makes the Parkinson's disease a chronic disease.

Statistics

The Parkinson's disease is one of the more frequent neurological pathologies (the nervous system). It affected 5.2 million people in the world in 2004 with 4 to 20 new cases per 100 000 persons per year.

Parkinson's disease usually appears around the sixties but in very rare cases, it can affect young people and declare to 40 years. A study carried out in five European countries showed that 1.6 per cent of population of more than 65 years were infected with the disease of Parkinson.

Given that the risk of manifestation of Parkinson's disease increases with age, the increase in life expectancy means that the number of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease increases also.

Diagnosis and support

Currently, the Parkinson's disease is not curable, however in most cases the symptoms can be treated effectively as soon as the diagnosis is made early.
The goal of treatment is to control and relieve the symptoms to keep and maintain the functions of the patient and allow him to have an acceptable quality of life as long as possible.

The treatment of Parkinson's Disease is mainly medicated but may also in rare cases be surgical. Added to these treatments of non-medicated solutions which play an important role in the support of the disease, for example, physical exercise, a specific regime, complementary therapies, and a strong emotional and family support. Understanding Parkinson's Disease, develop a new way to live and learn to accept new goals and challenges is almost as important as the supported practice of the disease.

A patient reaches of Parkinson's disease should not hesitate to ask for help, it is also important that it is followed by a specialist physician.

 References

1. Weintraub D, Comella CL, Horn S. Parkinson's disease-Part 1: Pathophysiology, symptoms, burden, diagnosis, and assessment. Am J Manag Care. 2008; 14(2 Suppl):S40-8.

2. Schapira AHV The management of Parkinson’s disease - what is new? Eur J Neurol 2011;18(Suppl 1):1-2.

3. Poewe W, Mahlknecht The clinical progression of Parkinson's disease. Park and Rel Dis 2009;15(Suppl
4):S28-S32.

4. de Lau LML, Breteler Monique MB. Epidemiology of Parkinson's disease. Lancet Neurology, 2006;5(6):525-535.

5. Grimes DA. Parkinson’s disease: a guide to treatments, therapies and controlling symptoms. London: Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2004.

6. de Rijk MC, Tzourio C, Breteler MM, et al. Prevalence of parkinsonism and Parkinson’s disease in Europe: the EUROPARKINSON Collaborative Study. European Community Concerted Action on the Epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1997; 62(1):10–15.

7. Dorsey ER, Constantinescu R, Thompson JP, Biglan KM, Holloway RG, Kieburtz K, Marshall FJ, Ravina BM, Schifitto G, Siderowf A, Tanner CM. Projected number of people with Parkinson disease in the most populous nations, 2005 through 2030 Neurology 2007;68(5):384-386.