Parkinson’s disease (P.D.) is an illness where a part of the brain that controls how the body moves deteriorates, causing more severe symptoms over time. Parkinson’s disease is best known for affecting balance, movement, and muscle control. This condition can come on so slowly that you don’t even notice it at first, but over time it progresses from a slight shakiness in your hand to impact how you talk, think, sleep, and walk.
Parkinson’s disease (P.D.) will likely occur when a person is 60 and older. However, it is possible that the condition starts when you are younger, but that doesn’t always happen. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease generally develop slowly over the years, and the progression of symptoms is usually a bit different from one person to another, owing to the diversity of the disease. Those with P.D. may experience tremors (mainly at rest), postural instability (gait and balance problems), hypokinesia and bradykinesia (paucity and slowness of movement), and rigidity (limb stiffness).
Although there is no cure for P.D., you should book an appointment to speak with a doctor if you are concerned that you may have any symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. They will ask you about the problems you’re experiencing, refer you to some further medical tests, and prescribe medications to help reduce the main symptoms and maintain a quality of life as long as possible.
Early signs
Parkinson’s disease exhibits three significant signs. They are;
- Stiffness and inflexible of muscles
- Tremors (shaking of particular parts of the body)
- Slow or sluggish movement
Other signs attributed to PD are:
- Insomnia (sleeping problems).
- Anxiety and depression.
- Balance problems (increases the chances of falling).
- Memory problems.
- Anosmia (loss of sense of smell).
Causes
The loss of nerve cells in a particular part of the brain, known as substantia nigra, causes Parkinson’s disease. This loss of nerve cells leads to brain dopamine reduction (a neurotransmitter). The decrease in dopamine levels, which plays a vital role in the homeostatic movement of the body, oversees the symptoms of PD. What exactly causes Parkinson’s disease is not clear. Scientists and medical experts think a combination of genetic and environmental factors is the culprit.
Risk factors
As might be expected, the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease increases with age, and the average at which it manifests is 60 years of age. P.D. is somewhat more common in men than in women. Even though P.D. is often age-dependent, it can happen in young adults around 20 to 30 years (though it is highly uncommon, and if possible such people must have had their parent or full sibling with the same condition).