Dystonia Research Paper

Each year more than 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PDF, 2014). That sixty thousand does not include the many thousand cases that go undetected each year. Parkinson’s is a progressive disorder that occurs in the nervous system. This disease affects a person’s movement. Parkinson’s disease develops progressively. The most common first sign of Parkinson’s is slight shaking of a body part. In the initial phase of Parkinson’s a person will experience slurring of speech and an expressionless face (Mayo Clinic, 2014). With time, the symptoms of Parkinson’s exacerbate. This disease is most frequently seen in people over the age of 50 (PDF, 2014). Parkinson’s disease is generated by a great number of reasons.

The main symptoms and signs of Parkinson’s are bradykinesia, rigidity and rest tremor. Parkinson’s is mainly seen as a movement disorder, but other areas of health problems are associated with it. These include depression and dementia along with autonomic disturbances and pain, although considered to be rare they can present at a later stage of the condition. These rarer symptoms, as they progress, can lead to substantial disability and handicap which harms quality of life for the person living with Parkinson’s, this also has an impact on families and carer’s.

J.N., a 65-year-old Caucasian female with a history of anxiety and depression, presents for diagnostic testing at Saint Mary Medical Center in Hobart, Indiana to confirm or deny a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, after presenting with recent onset of upper extremity tremor affecting both sides and facial masking. Patient history also includes bradykinesia, restlessness, fatigue, muscle weakness, and poor balance and coordination, all of which are common in a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. J.N. was referred to the Neurology Department of Saint Mary Medical Center after a routine appointment with her Cardiologist, who noted the recent onset of additional signs and symptoms. J.N. is my mother and my inspiration for this assignment.

Usually once atrophy of the hip musculature is noticed, shoulder weakness in noticed also. Those inflicted with DMD will also have trouble with overhead activates, and keeping the shoulders flexed for long periods of time. Scott M. Giles actually lists the following muscles affected by DMD: “Shoulder girdle musculature, pectorals, deltoids, rectus abdominals, gluteals, hamstrings, and calf muscles” 6. DMD patients continue to lose control and strength in their lower extremity musculature and eventually have so much trouble walking they are confined to a wheelchair. There is not a set age where this occurs, but the average is around twelve years old. The DMD muscles involved in eating, drinking, and of the eye are not touched by the disease. They usually do not have any hearing deficits or stroke disorders 1.

The Duchenne muscular dystrophy is not easy because we depend on our legs and lower body so much but, unfortunately no one has found a cure for it. It has been proven over time and trials that a few medications help slow the course or intensity of the disease. Another idea that has also shown improvement of muscular dystrophy was physical therapy. It is still being researched and doctors are looking for a cure that will end the disease in the future.

Parkinson disease (PD), also referred to as Parkinson’s disease and paralysis agitans, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is the third most common neurologic disorder of older adults. It is a debilitating disease affecting motor ability and is characterized by four cardinal symptoms: tremor rigidity, bradykinesia or kinesis (slow movement/no movement), and postural instability. Most people have primary, or idiopathic, disease. A few patients have secondary parkinsonian symptoms from conditions such as brain tumors and certain anti-psychotic drugs.

The only thing available to patients are treatments to try and slow down the process of muscle degradation. There are only two current types of treatments available for patients, drugs and physical therapy. The two most common types of drugs given are corticosteroids and heart medications. Corticosteroids can help increase muscle strength and slow progression, although their long-term use can weaken bones and increase weight gain. Now if the muscular dystrophy impacts the heart, beta blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors may be useful. Now there are four different types of physical therapy that may help out, the first one is just general exercise because it helps keep the limbs limber and in motion for longer than if you weren’t to exercise. Now if your muscles weaken to the point where it becomes hard to breath, then a breathing assistant will be given to help ease the flow of air that you produce. When MD has reached its advanced stages, then braces and mobility aids are given to keep you moving and to stretch your muscles and tendons as to slow down the process of weakening muscles. (MNT) The two most effective ways of treating MD were the corticosteroids and also general exercise. Since the corticosteroids in the long run cause you to gain weight, the general exercise helps keep that in check along with keeping you active. Unfortunately with these treatments it does not stop MD from

Parkinson’s disease, a type of dementia also known as idiopathic or primary parkinsonism, paralysis agitans, or hypokinetic rigid syndrome/HRS, is on the rise in the U.S. Each year there are over 60,000 new cases in the U.S. alone. With the average person diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease over the age of 65 and America’s rapidly growing elderly population, awareness and concern are becoming significant points of interest for many healthcare professionals.

either be “cured” or slowed down and how doctors can and cannot tell which muscular dystrophy

These deficits increase during the course of the disease and are due to loss of dopamine-secreting neurons in the motor circuits in the basal ganglia which are necessary for control and coordination of movements. The symptoms displayed because of this are: bradykinesia, resting tremor, rigidity of muscles and impaired posture (Millage, Vesey, Finkelstein, & Anheluk, 2017). Research indicates that exercise modalities can improve both motor and non-motor aspects of PD (Dashtipour et al., 2015).

Currently there is no cure for DMD, but certain exercise therapy and muscle building medicines to slow down or reverse the progression of muscular dystrophy. Other treatments are being tested to see if they could control or suppress the symptoms of DMD. These treatments include; albuterol, amino acids, coenzyme Q10, carnitine, fish oil, creatine, green tea extracts and vitamin E (Haldeman-Englert, 2015). Despite these few temporary treatments it is said that gene therapy could be used for human trials are very close to occurring.

This letter is about muscular dystrophy which is a big and dangerous disease, and that you need to organize and make more research about it in order to find cure. It is making muscles weaker and could cause death of cells and tissues( Diseases and Conditions Muscular dystrophy). Muscular Dystrophy has symptoms like progressive muscular wasting, calf deformation, drooping eyelids, atrophy, respiratory difficulty, Inability to walk, poor balance, frequent falls, waddling gait, scoliosis, limited range of movement, joint contractures, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, muscle spasms, gowers' sign, all of it is what people become after sometime and it need to be stopped somehow( NINDS Muscular Dystrophy Information Page). In addition it also has many

Dystonia is a disorder that affects more than 300,000 people in the United States. It’s a complex disorder that involves varied neurological movement and involuntary muscle contractions. Unfortunately, dystonia isn’t just subjected to people of a certain age or race which means it can affect just about anyone. The good news is that it isn’t as life threatening as many other disorders, but it can seriously impact someone’s life by making it hard to partake in simple daily functions. This disorder causes people to be embarrassed, which is what really can affect those that are affected.

Parkinson’s Disease is known as one of the most common progressive and chronic neurodegenerative disorders. It belongs to a group of conditions known as movement disorders. Parkinson disease is a component of hypokinetic disorder because it causes a decreased in bodily movement. It affects people who are usually over the age of 50. It can impair an individual motor as well as non-motor function. Some of the primary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are characterized by tremors or trembling in hands, legs and arms. In early symptoms the tremor can be unilateral, appearing in one side of body but progression in the disease can cause it to spread to both sides; rigidity or a resistant to movement affects most people with Parkinson’s disease,

Major life stressors, chronic illness, medications, and relationship or work problems may cause Dysthymia. Now that you know a little bit more about Dysthymia, you are probably wondering, what are some of the symptoms? Some of the symptoms of Dysthymia are: sadness or depressed mood most of the day or almost everyday, loss of enjoyment of things that were once pleasurable, major change in weight ( weight loss or gaining weight), insomnia or excessive sleep throughout the day, Fatigue, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness or guilt almost everyday, thoughts about death or suicide. Now that you know some of the symptoms of Dysthymia, you might wonder, How are you diagnosed with it? A mental health specialist or a psychologist, generally makes the diagnosis based on the symptoms of the person. There is no blood, x-ray, or any other lab test that can find out if you have Dysthymia. Now that that’s clear, the final question is… Is it curable!? Although Dysthymia is a severe illness; it is also very treatable. As with any chronic illnesses, early diagnosis and medical treatment may reduce the intensity and duration of symptoms, and also reduce the likelihood of it developing into major depression. To treat Dysthymia doctors may use psychotherapy, more commonly known as, seeing a therapist, along with taking antidepressants. Dysthymia can be treated by a primary care physician. Now, last but not least is “Genetic Depression”. It has been known that depressive illness can run in families. Genes that we inherit from our parents can determine lots of things such as gender, hair and eye color. Our genes also determine which illnesses we may be vulnerable to at some point in our lives. Every cell in our body contains around 50,000 to 100,000 genes. They are all made up of DNA ( deoxyribonucleic acid). Genes are located on chromosomes within the nucleus of