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Parkinson's Disease


Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects one’s movements. Parkinson’s disease signs and symptoms are different for every individual and may go unnoticed in the early stage. Symptoms typically start on one side of the body and remain worse on that side even after the symptoms begin appearing in both sides of the body. 



Generally, the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include tremors, slowed movement, rigid muscles, impaired posture and balance, loss of automatic movements such as blinking or swinging of arms when walking, and speech and writing changes. 



Parkinson’s disease occurs when neurons in an area of the brain that controls movement becomes impaired or dies. These neurons normally produce dopamine. As more neurons become impaired or die, the amount of dopamine produced in the body is reduced significantly, causing the movement problems associated with Parkinson’s disease. 


People with Parkinson’s also lose the nerve endings that produce norepinephrine, which is the main chemical messenger of the sympathetic nervous system. The loss of norepinephrine contributes to the non-movement symptoms featured in Parkinson’s, such as fatigue and irregular blood pressure. 


Medication can be used to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson’s. The most commonly prescribed medicine for Parkinson disease is levodopa. Levodopa is converted by brain cells into dopamine, which is then used to send signals to move the body. 



Despite all efforts, researchers have not yet found the cause of Parkinson’s. However, the presence of Lewy bodies, unusual clumps of the protein alpha-synuclein, in the brains of people with Parkinson’s have been noted as an important clue in finding the cause.

 Sources:

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/parkinsons-disease

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20376055

https://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/guide/drug-treatments#1

http://www.askdrray.com/parkinsons-disease-may-stopped/

https://www.healthxchange.sg/head-neck/brain-nervous-system/parkinsons-disease-five-common-myths-debunked

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/parkinson/index.cfm

https://www.nature.com/articles/466S6a

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