Parkinson's Disease Research Paper

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by degeneration and cell loss of the substantia nigra, which causes disturbances of voluntary motor control [5]. It impairs ones ability to produce movements and is commonly associated with difficulties of daily living. Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects approximately 1.5% to 2.0% of the population over the age of sixty years old [2] and “… it is estimated that 6 million individuals worldwide are currently living with PD,” [7] (pg323). Parkinson’s sufferers often experience physical distress and an altered quality of life.

There are many diseases and disorders in the world that can attack a human’s body and destroy certain organ systems in the process. In this paper, you will learn about a particular disease that has been studied by many scientists and doctors for decades. Research hospitals such as Mayo Clinic and John Hopkins University have studied Alzheimer’s disease in order to come to conclusions on what the disease is and what can cure the disease. This disease can cause critical damage to a human’s body from the symptoms to the treatment that is followed by the diagnosis. In the following paper, we will discover the symptoms, the organs affected, and the treatment for Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a nervous system disorder that affects nearly five million people world wide. Most of the effects of PD are movement based. It is more prevalent in men and the chance of developing the disease increases with age. Fifteen percent of those with Parkinson’s have been identified as having a family history of the disease. Those who are 80 or older may be one-thousand times more likely to develop PD than those under 40 (Jankovic & Tolosa, 2015). The symptoms of PD were first described in 1817 by James Parkinson. Over time, Parkinson was able to observe the disease in six different patients, seeing the similarities in their symptoms. As sciences have advanced at a rapid rate, the understanding of PD has

Parkinson’s is a disease that affects the nervous system, causing problems with movement of the body. There is an estimate that says that there is seven to ten million people in world living with this particular disease. The possibility of someone receiving Parkinson’s disease increases with age, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation there is an estimate that four percent of people under the age of fifty are diagnosed with the disease (Parkinson’s Disease Foundation).

Parkinson’s disease is a motor system disorder. (5) The human motor system is an incredibly complex functional morphology that encompasses neural elements, muscular elements, bony elements, joints, and sensory elements. (4) This disease is brought upon from insufficient production of dopamine in the body/brain. The insufficient production of dopamine is caused by the death of cells in the substania nigra. The exact cause of for what is causing the cells in the substania nigra to die is remains to be unknown. What is understood is that the cell death in the substantia nigra involves the build up of lewy bodies, a type of abnormal protein. (10) The progression of the disease varies person to person, but symptoms tend to develop gradually. Typical symptoms consist of tremors, trembling hands, arms legs,

Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the brain, and is caused when the nerve cells in the brain that make dopamine are destroyed. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include tremors, shaking, and difficulty with coordination. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disease, with symptoms worsening as the disease progresses. Approximately 10 million people worldwide are currently living with Parkinson’s disease, and about 60,000 people are diagnosed with it each year. The average cost for each patient per year is $2,500 for medication therapy, and $100,00 for therapeutic surgery.

Parkinson’s Disease is a very complex and interesting disease. Parkinson’s is a nervous system disorder that disrupts the person’s movement and thinking. Parkinson’s is named after James Parkinson. Parkinson was a doctor from London. He studied many of the symptoms, and at the time, he got little recognition for his studies. He tried to get medical schools to study with him, but they would not listen. He died in 1824, and it wasn’t until 1861, until his studies got attention. The person that recognized Parkinson’s studies was Jean Martin Charcot. He was a French neurologist. He and his colleagues called the disease Parkinson’s Disease after James Parkinson. (http://www.everydayhealth.com/parkinsons-disease/history-of-parkinsons-disease.aspx) 6/10/2009

At present there have been great strides made in the research and therapy of Parkinson’s disease. Some of the therapies which will soon be available include the transplantation of healthy dopamine-producing tissues into the brain and the use of medications to prevent dopamine producing brain cells from becoming damaged or lost. It is the understanding of what is Parkinson’s Disease that can help those who have been diagnosed with

Charcot examined a large group of patients within Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, he had developed a way to observe tremors in action and at rest. “He noted that the patients with action tremor had accompanying features of weakness, spasticity, and visual disturbance. In contrast, those with rest tremor differed in having rigidity, slowed movements, a typical hunched posture, and very soft spoken.” (Goetz 2011) Charcot early tremor studies helped to establish Parkinson’s Disease through his very high publicized findings that neurological entity could be confidently be diagnosed. In 1957 a Swedish scientist Arvid Carlsson found out that dopamine in the brain region that is important for movement control. He showed that the levels of dopamine can be reduced in animals to cause symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease and also by giving the animals levodopa (L-dopa) to reverse the symptoms of PD. PD is second most common neurodegenerative after Alzheimer’s Disease and the most common movement disorder. Over 60,000 people here in the United States are diagnosed every year but they say the numbers can be much higher with undiagnosed people out there but over one million people live with Parkinson daily.10 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s Disease and April 11th is World Parkinson’s Day. On April 11th, 2017 marked 200 years since James Parkinson publicized his essay.

Parkinson’s Disease has been known of since Ancient Times. First being referred to as “Kampavata” in Ancient Indian medicine by Ayurveda later Physician Galen described it as “Shaking Palsy” in AD 175. This disease was not very much recognized until 1817. This was the year that James Parkinson wrote an essay on the disease. This essay was written on the six cases he saw both at the location of his work and within the neighborhood he lived in. Because of his essay, “Shaking Palsy” was recognized as a disease. This essay was his way of sparking the interest within the medical world and make the effort to find out more about this disease. Luckily, sixty years later, someone did.

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a chronic neurological disease that effects about 329 per 100,000 people in the US. The average onset of this disease usually is for people over the age of 50, with the baby boomers getting older there may be an increase in this disease, as much as 9 million people worldwide. (Pawha 2010)

Parkinson’s disease is a disease with a wide variety of disabilities recognizable as changes in appearance, posture, walking, and balance. In 1817, the English physician James Parkinson described these symptoms in his patients and has had his name become synonymous with the disease. In 1893 the substantia nigra of the basal ganglia was identified as an area of disease for Parkinson’s. Examination with the naked eye reveals a lack of black pigment in this portion of the brainstem. Subsequent follow up with the microscope showed a deterioration of the nerve cells in this area. The circuitous relationship between the substantia nigra and the basal ganglia explains many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Today the

Typically, Parkinson’s disease can be commonly mistaken for other forms of Parkinsonism This can be developed through the use of traumatic brain injuries (TBI), the use of drugs, or degenerations of certain areas in the brain (Parkinson’s Disease: hope through research). Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition that can affect the ability of everyday people doing everyday things. This really can limit the movement or control of movement for people due to the damage in a particular part of their brain. Sometimes a brain scan is required to determine if it is Parkinson’s disease because it could easily be symptoms from an injury or another disease. Diagnosing this disease is based on medical history of the patient and brains scans. Although it is a rarity to find this disease in youth, Parkinson’s can occur as early as the ages of 6-13. Parkinson’s is most common around 60+ years of age and is a chronic condition that in most cases is lifelong (Music Therapy in Neurological Rehabilitation 290). Currently, there is not a cure for Parkinson’s Disease and patients are often referred to prescription drugs such as levodopa to replace lost dopamine. When there is not enough dopamine, there is difficulty with smooth and coordinated motions of the body’s movement. When the drugs fail to diminish the effects of this disease, surgery in the areas of the basal ganglia is an option. Lastly, using therapy to control the symptoms is widely

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive and chronic neurodegenerative disorder. It affects about 1.8% of people over the age of 65 years, and has a higher prevalence in males. In general however, those who are of young onset PD tend to have a smoother course of the disease. Most doctors claim that Parkinson’s disease itself is not fatal. However, as symptoms worsen they can cause incidents that result in death (Michael J. Fox Foundation, 2012).

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,