what is the reason for parkingson disease?

Answer 1

Parkinson's disease is a chronic movement disorder (a problem involving body motions) that causes resting tremor, rigidity, slowed body movements, unstable posture and abnormal gait. It happens when neurons (nerve cells) in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra gradually die. These cells normally produce dopamine, a chemical that helps relay messages between areas of the brain that control body movement. The death of substantia nigra cells leads to abnormally low levels of dopamine, and this causes difficulty in controlling muscle tension and muscle movement, both at rest and during periods of activity.

Symptoms

Parkinson's disease usually begins as a slight tremor or stiffness involving the arm or leg on one side of the body. The tremor is prominent at rest and is regular, typically occurring at a rate of three to six times per second. The Parkinson's disease tremor usually worsens under stress, improves with voluntary movement of the affected limb, and may disappear entirely during sleep. In the earliest stages, Parkinson's disease may be evident only as a "pill-rolling" tremor involving the thumb and index finger. As the illness progresses, the tremor may become more widespread, eventually affecting limbs on both sides of the body. In addition to the classic tremor, Parkinson's disease also causes limb rigidity, a slowing of body movements (bradykinesia), unstable posture and a characteristic abnormal gait. When bradykinesia affects the facial muscles, it causes drooling, disrupts normal eye blinking, interferes with spontaneous facial expressions and eventually leads to a mask-like appearance. Bradykinesia of other muscles may affect the patient's ability to walk and to perform activities of daily living, such as washing, dressing, or using eating utensils. Handwriting also becomes small, shaky and often illegible. In many Parkinson's disease patients, problems with unsteady balance and posture may make it hard for them to lower themselves into a chair or to rise from one. Walking is accomplished with small, shuffling steps and a stooped posture, usually without the normal arm-swinging motions.

Other symptoms of Parkinson's disease may include:

· Depression

· Anxiety

· Disturbed sleep

· Memory loss

· Slurred or abnormally soft speech

· Difficulty chewing or swallowing

· Constipation

· Impaired bladder control

· Abnormal regulation of body temperature

· Increased sweating

· Sexual dysfunction

· Cramps, numbness, tingling or pain in the muscles
Prevention

Because doctors are not sure what causes Parkinson's disease, there is currentlyno proven way to prevent it.

Treatment

Medication

Although there is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease, its symptoms can be treated with several different types of medication. Since the symptoms of Parkinson's disease are caused by degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in the brainstem, most existing therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease are "dopaminergic" - that is, the medications either boost dopamine levels in the brain or mimic the effects of dopamine on target cells. The first major decision faced by patients and their physicians is when to initiate treatment in the early stages of the disease. When symptoms are apparent but not overly troublesome, medication may not be necessary, particularly since there is some evidence that early treatment can in some cases predispose patients to later side effects and other complications. Treatment is usually begun when symptoms interfere with work performance or management of household affairs and other activities, or when difficulty with walking and balance becomes significant.

The most effective therapy for Parkinson's disease is levodopa (Atamet, Larodopa, Sinemet), a medication that is converted to dopamine in the brain. Levodopa is usually prescribed in combination with carbidopa to increase its effectiveness and limit side effects. Nearly all patients with Parkinson's disease experience a rapid improvement in symptoms after starting levodopa therapy. Unfortunately, long-term use of levodopa is associated with troublesome complications in 75 percent of patients. These complications include fluctuations in the response of motor symptoms; abnormal, uncontrollable movements termed dyskinesias, which sometimes can be severe and disabling; and mental impairments such as confusion or hallucinations. As noted above, there is some evidence that long-term use of levodopa may increase the risk of developing these complications. Some physicians therefore prefer to minimize the duration and dosage of levodopa therapy in Parkinson's disease.

Several alternative medications may be used either alone or in combination with levodopa to treat Parkinson's disease symptoms. For mild symptoms in early Parkinson's disease, amantadine (Symmetrel) or anticholinergic medications, such as trihexyphenidyl (Artane, Trihexane, Trihexy) or benztropine (Cogentin), may be helpful. Amantadine promotes the release of stored dopamine inside the brain, but it may work only briefly in some patients. Anticholinergic medications are particularly effective against tremor, but their use may be limited by side effects such as confusion and hallucinations, especially in elderly patients. In patients with early Parkinson's disease, the drug selegiline (Carbex, Eldepryl) also produces a mild improvement in symptoms, possibly through a protective effect on the remaining dopamine-producing brain cells, but this explanation is controversial.

Dopamine agonist medications - such as bromocriptine (Parlodel), pergolide (Permax), pramipexole (Mirapex) and ropinirole (Requip) - may be used alone to delay the need for levodopa, or when used in combination with levodopa, they may increase its effectiveness or reduce the necessary dose. Dopamine agonists function by mimicking the effects of dopamine on target brain cells, but they are in general less effective than levodopa, and most patients require the addition of levodopa within a few years. These medications can cause lowering of the blood pressure and faintness, particularly when patients first start taking them, but the effect is minimized if the dosage is increased slowly. Depending upon the dopamine agonist used, other rare side effects are possible, including skin inflammation, ankle swelling or attacks of drowsiness, so a physician should be consulted before and during therapy.

Drugs called COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors offer another alternative therapy for use in combination with levodopa. COMT inhibitors, such as entacapone (Comtan) and tolcapone (Tasmar), block the enzyme that breaks down dopamine and levodopa, thereby prolonging the action of dopamine in the brain and increasing the effectiveness of levodopa.

Depression is a fairly common problem in Parkinson's disease, and many patients can benefit from treatment with antidepressant medications. Symptoms of depression include not only depressed mood or tearfulness, but also decreased appetite, disturbed sleep (especially early awakening), decreased interest in pleasurable pursuits or activities, decreased energy level, thoughts of worthlessness, guilt or suicide. A physician should be consulted if any of these symptoms are apparent, and the patient should receive medical attention immediately if he or she may be suicidal.

In addition to treatment with medications, some Parkinson's disease patients find that regular exercise and a balanced diet help to improve their overall sense of well-being and body control.

Surgery

Surgical treatments are considered when patients have not responded adequately to medications. Existing surgical treatments involve either the creation of small, precise lesions or the implantation of stimulating electrodes in specific brain regions that appear to be overactive in Parkinson's disease. Thalamotomy and thalamic stimulation are effective in relieving tremor that does not respond to medications in about 70 percent of cases. Pallidotomy is used primarily to relieve dyskinesias caused by levodopa therapy, but also provides some relief from rigidity and tremor. Subthalamic nucleus stimulation is also effective in relieving Parkinson's disease symptoms and reducing levodopa-induced dyskinesias. Finally, implantation of fetal dopaminergic tissue is a promising but experimental procedure. Results so far have been mixed, and further work is needed to solve some of the difficulties associated with this procedure.

Answer 2

You can find much written about this. You can get very technical medical reasons for Parkinson's Disease. To simplify it, the brain loses dopamine for unknown reasons. By the time the first symptom appears 80% of the dopamine has already gone. Both my mother and my paternal grandmother had Parkinson's Disease so I have read extensively on it. No one will commit to saying whether the tendency to get Parkinson's Disease is hereditary or not. There is much more research being done now than there used to be. Some younger people are getting Parkinson's but many (most) do not come down with the disease until they are past 65 years of age. Many people die of other things long before the Parkinson's Disease progresses very far. It is a slow progressing disease.

Answer 3

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (also known as Parkinson disease or PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that affects the control of muscles, and so may affect movement, speech and posture. Parkinson's disease belongs to a group of conditions called movement disorders. It is often characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor, a slowing of physical movement (bradykinesia), and in extreme cases, a loss of physical movement (akinesia). The primary symptoms are the results of excessive muscle contraction, normally caused by the insufficient formation and action of dopamine, which is produced in the dopaminergic neurons of the brain. Secondary symptoms may include high level cognitive dysfunction and subtle language problems. PD is both chronic, meaning it persists over a long period of time, and progressive.

PD is the most common cause of parkinsonism, a group of similar symptoms. PD is also called "primary parkinsonism" or "idiopathic PD" ("idiopathic" meaning of no known cause). While most forms of parkinsonism are idiopathic, there are some cases where the symptoms may result from toxicity, drugs, genetic mutation, head trauma, or other medical disorders.

Answer 4

Thank you people for describing what the biological/chemical cause is.
The unknown reason for this disease mentioned in the article above might be explained with a spiritual belief system.

Parkinsons disease is about
beliefsytems and morality, and taking the high road with it.
a rigid sense of right and wrong
It's about lifelong patterns of repressing anger and emotions
and not allowing yourself to make any mistakes.
If this person has wide spiritual belief system he or she can try a cure from Alfons. There is hardly any medication for this disease.
Exactly the opposite is what is needed to heal. A loving, wide, open and nurturing spiritual belief sytem.

Answer 5

Actually there is evidence that herbicides and pesticides may be contributing factors to this disease.
Mustard Gas exposure in world war 2 greatly increased the instances of PD in Veterans.
Exposure to golf courses is also suspect.
Contact the National Parkinson disease foundation for more information.
Gopod luck finding more information!

Answer 6

Parkinson disease is associated with loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and dopamine deficiency in the striatum. This results in abnormally increased activity of the subthalamic nucleus and internal segment of the globus pallidus, which cause the motor manifestations of the disease. In Parkinson disease, other nondopaminergic neurons also are affected, resulting in a milder deficiency of the other monoamine neurotransmitters, including serotonin and norepinephrine. In concert with dopamine deficiency, depletion of these other neurotransmitters results in psychological and behavioral symptoms, including depression, asthenia, memory and concentration difficulties, and sleep disturbances. Involvement of the intermediolateral cells in the thoracic spinal cord, autonomic ganglia, and autonomic neurons in the wall of the abdominal viscera also occurs in Parkinson disease and results in dysautonomia.

Answer 7

WOW, I ACTUALLY JUST STUDIED THIS IN CLASS THE OTHER DAY! PARKINSONS DISEASE IS CAUSED BY THE DEGENERATION OF THE SUBSTANTIA NIGRA WHICH CAUSES LESS DOPAMINERGIC ACTIVITY IN THE BASAL GANGLIA. THE BASAL GANGLIA IS THE PART OF THE BRAIN ASSOCIATED WITH MOVEMENT. DOPAMINE IS THE NUEROTRANSMITTER. WITHOUT DOPAMINE, A PERSON HAS MOTOR/MOVEMENT DISORDERS. THATS ALL I CAN REMEMBER. HOPE THAT HELPS.

Answer 8

it is a slowly progressingneurologic movement disorder which leads to disability
cause of this is unknown but studies shows that it may be due to geneticaly, excessive accumulation of oxygen free radicals,viral infection,use of excessive antipsychotic medications,head trauma.