Gender Differences Between Parkinson's Disease And Gender

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.

If you eat unhealthy, fatty foods your whole life, you have a higher risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or arteriosclerosis. If you have unprotected sex, you may contract a sexually transmitted disease, such as syphilis, gonorrhea, or HIV/AIDS. But, Parkinson’s doesn’t racially discriminate, nor does it care if someone is wealthy, poor, educated, non-educated, male or female. Anyone can develop Parkinson’s disease. The disease begins in the brain, our most intricate, delicate organ, whose complexity is still not entirely understood, even with today’s technology and experts. The brain intrigues me. I find myself curious about brain

Parkinson’s disease is caused by the destruction of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the midbrain (Substantia nigra). These nerve cells are used to coordinate smooth and regular body movement. In the absence of these cells, people often experience tremors (involuntary shaking or

Parkinson’s disease “is described as a common disorder of the brain caused by a progressive deterioration of the areas that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine” (Fischer, 1999). It affects the nervous system, more specifically it affects the nerve cells in your brain that secrete dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that is responsible for the movement and coordination of the musculoskeletal system.

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, primarily affecting voluntary, precise, and controlled movement. Parkinson’s occurs when cells in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra die off. These cells are responsible for producing dopamine. With less and less dopamine, a person has less and less ability to regulate their movements, body and emotions. The terms "familial Parkinson's disease" and "sporadic Parkinson's disease" are used to differentiate genetic from truly idiopathic forms of the disease.

Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease are two degenerative brain diseases that differ in their symptoms, causes, treatment, physical and biological indicators. Per Hooley et al. (2017), Parkinson’ disease is thought to be caused by an extended reduction of dopamine, which the absence of constrains normal neural impulses in the brain. After some time, movements such as tremors, stammered speech, diminished or unintentional body movements are demonstrated. Those that suffer from Parkinson’s disease often have an incapability to swallow and muscle stiffness that affects muscles in their faces with mental deterioration occurring as the disease progresses. Parkinson’s disease can be traced to gender and genetics and most of those affected are men that have a family history of the disease (APA, 2013). Treatment for Parkinson’s disease encompasses dopamine precursors to increase the presence of dopamine.

What exactly is Parkinson’s? Known commonly as a movement disorder. It affects movement, muscle control, and balance. “It is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease, and the second most prevalent and disabling condition in the expanding elderly population” (Mikkelsen,Stinson, 2011, pg xix). For those that aren’t aware what neurodegenerative means it’s simply the loss of nerve cells. Nerve cells which are also known as neurons are located in the nervous system. Neurons are broken down into three different types. They are sensory (receptor), motor (effector), and interneurons (connector). Each one of these neurons plays a different role in the nervous system. The purpose of neurons is to receive incoming information and in return send signals to other neurons, muscles or glands. Neurons are made up of three parts. First the cell body which controls the neuron

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world. Since an increasing number of people are reaching a high age, it is predicted that also the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease will be higher in the future. The symptoms of the disease are both motor symptoms like tremor and impairment of the gait, but along with that, psychological symptoms and memory loss are evident in many cases.

“The disease is caused by the death of cells in one of the movement control centers of the brain” (Sick!). More than one million people in the United States are affected by this disease, and about 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year with an equal frequency and men and women. It usually develops when a person is in his or her late 50s or early 60s. Parkinson's Disease develops gradually, but continues for long periods of time, usually many years. When brain cells die in the substantia nigra, it doesn't release enough dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps send signals that control movement, and without it, signals cannot travel from substantia nigra brain cells to other parts of the body. This makes every day movement like walking and writing to not occur correctly. Researchers have not yet discovered the basic cause of Parkinson's disease, but some think the disease is hereditary or caused by environmental factors. Some of the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease are tremor (shaking), slowing down of movements, muscle rigidity (stiffness), problems with posture and balance, depression, changes in the way a person speaks, sleep problems, emotional changes, incontinence (loss of bladder control), changes in handwriting, and dementia (problems with mental functions). There is no known treatment or way to prevent Parkinson's disease

Parkinson’s is a disease where patients do not have enough dopamine, because some of their nerve cells have died in the brain. Dopamine controls the movement in the body, and without it movement becomes slow. Treatments for Parkinson’s are used to control the symptoms. This disease is not well known because patients do not generally die from Parkinson’s. As Parkinson’s progresses the symptoms get worse and can cause other health issues. I used current research papers and information found pertaining to different Parkinson’s organizations to argue the point that Parkinson’s does not have enough awareness and funding for scientists to find a cure.

It appears that men are 1.5 more likely to receive Parkinson’s disease over women. Also, according to Doctor Lai, the writer of Epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease, white people throughout North America and Europe have a higher chance of receiving this disease (Lai, 2001). The likelihood of receiving Parkinson’s is 100 to 350 per a 100,000 population. Asians and African Americans have a different outlook for this disease. They have a less of a chance of getting this disease, only about one tenth of Asians and African Americans get Parkinson's compared to those who are white

Parkinson’s disease is a “progressive, degenerative neurological condition that affects a person’s control of their body movements. It is not contagious and not fatal. It is thought to be genetic in a very small percentage of cases.” (Better Health Channel, 2015) There are approximately 80,000 Australians living with Parkinson’s today. The average age of diagnosis is around 65 years of age, however, younger people can be diagnosed with Parkinson’s as well. This is known as Young Onset Parkinson’s which is usually due to genetics. It is quite difficult to diagnose Parkinson’s. There are no laboratory tests so it is important that the diagnosis is made by a specialist like a neurologist (Parkinsons.org.au, 2015).

Parkinson’s disease has been known about since ancient times. In AD 175, the physician Galen described it as “shaking palsy” in Western medical literature. It wasn’t until 1817 that a London doctor, named James Parkinson, wrote a detailed medical essay on this disease. This essay established Parkinson’s disease as a recognized medical condition. He based the essay off of six cases he had observed previously and hoped that it would encourage others to study the disease. No such research was performed until finally, sixty years after Parkinson’s essay was published, a French neurologist named Jean Charcot studied the disease and was the first to truly recognize the importance of Parkinson’s work. As a result, he named the disease after him. Much has been learned about the disease since then; however, much of it still remains a mystery. Researchers have learned that the symptoms for this disease are progressive, degenerative, and tend to occur more in older individuals. It has been found that a dopamine deficiency of the brain is the root of the matter; although, why this initially occurs is less clear. The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation was created in 1957 to assist those who are suffering and promote and fund further research. Since the 1960’s research has only progressed more and more rapidly. Even though there still is no known cure, the symptoms can now be effectively controlled and reduced in severity. Moreover, many other foundations assisting the cause have been

Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized mainly by physical and psychological disabilities. This disorder was named after James Parkinson, an English physician who first described it as shaking palsy in 1817 (Goetz, Factr, and Weiner, 2002). Jean- Martin Charcot, who was a French neurologist, then progressed and further refined the description of the disease and identified other clinical features of PD (Goetz, Factr, and Weiner, 2002). PD involves the loss of cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine in a part of the brain stem called the substansia nigra, which results in several signs and symptoms (Byrd, Marks, and Starr, 2000). It is manifested clinically by tremor,

Named for James Parkinson, the English doctor who wrote the first accurate description of the disease in 1817, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive, degenerative neurologic disease characterized by nonintentional tremor, bradykinesia, and muscle rigidity. It is one of the most common neurologic disorders affecting older adults; approximately 1 to 1.5 million people are affected. The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are sometimes initially mistaken as sings of the normal aging process. The chronic and eventually debilitating nature of Parkinson’s disease poses many challenges to patients, families, and health care professionals. Dependence due to declining physical and mental abilities is of major concern. In the early stages, most patients