Parkinson's Disease Symptoms, Treatment & Causes

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It occurs when the nerve cells present in the brain do not produce enough of the brain chemical, known as dopamine (one that is used to send messages to parts of the brain that control movement and coordination). As this disease develops, dopamine inside the brain decreases, making it hard to control movement. It is a chronic disorder for many, as the symptoms continue to worsen over time.

Symptoms

The following are the symptoms and signs of this disease:

Tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and postural instability.
Bradykinesia (slow movement or reduction of spontaneous movement).
Rigidity in limbs, neck, and trunk.
Pain and postural instability.
Dementia.
Excessive sweating, constipation, and gastrointestinal dysmotility.

Causes

The cause of the disease is unknown, although environmental and genetic factors appear to play a slight role. The probable causes of the disease are:

Genetic variations.
Environmental factors.
Exposure to certain toxins.

Risks

The risks factors of this disease are:

Age: people around 60 years of age are at an increased risk.
Heredity.
Exposure to certain toxins.
Gender: Males are most likely to get affected.

Prevention

The causes of the disease are not exactly known, but to prevent the occurrence of this disease, there are certain things one should take care of:

Reducing consumption of caffeine in coffee, cola, and tea.
Consumption of green tea.
Aerobic exercises.

How is it diagnosed?

There is no medical test that clearly identifies the disease, but our doctors at Medanta may employ the following methods to diagnose the disease:
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Brain scans
Neurological examination
Physical examination

How is it treated?

Treatment of Parkinson’s disease often requires a team effort. At Medanta, our team of doctors will help to treat the disease by involving our neurologist and also physical therapists and speech therapists.

Medication
The most commonly prescribed drugs to treat people suffering from this disease are Artane, Azilect, Cogentin, Comtan, Dopar, Larodopa, Neupro, Sinemet, and Tasmar.
Treatments
Depending upon the medical history, health, needs, and symptoms of the disease, one of these four procedures may be considered as treatment - deep brain stimulation, pallidotomy, thalamotomy, and gamma knife.
Therapies
Alternative therapy is another way to treat Parkinson’s disease. Relaxation and guided imagery (a kind of meditation exercise) helps to deal with stress, depression, and anxiety.