World boxing icon and legend, Muhammad Ali died at an hospital in the US city of Phoenix,Arizona last Friday.
Ali suffered from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson's disease. Here are 10 things you should know about the disease that killed ‘the greatest.’
1. PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease and affects approximately seven million people globally.
2. The most obvious symptoms of the disease are movement-related; these include shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with walking and gait.
3. While Primary Parkinson's disease has no known cause, Secondary parkinsonism is due to known causes like toxins.
4. Parkinson leads to the death of cells in the substantia nigra, a region of the midbrain
5. Parkinson's disease can cause neuropsychiatric disturbances which can range from mild to severe. This includes disorders of speech, cognition, mood, behaviour, and thought.[
6. Sleep problems are a feature of the disease and can be worsened by medications
7. Exercise in middle age reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease later in life
8. Although tobacco smoke causes adverse health effects, decreases life expectancy and quality of life, it may reduce the risk of PD by a third when compared to non-smokers.
9. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease
10. Muhammed Ali was the world's most famous Parkinson's patient"
Ali suffered from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson's disease. Here are 10 things you should know about the disease that killed ‘the greatest.’
1. PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease and affects approximately seven million people globally.
2. The most obvious symptoms of the disease are movement-related; these include shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with walking and gait.
3. While Primary Parkinson's disease has no known cause, Secondary parkinsonism is due to known causes like toxins.
4. Parkinson leads to the death of cells in the substantia nigra, a region of the midbrain
5. Parkinson's disease can cause neuropsychiatric disturbances which can range from mild to severe. This includes disorders of speech, cognition, mood, behaviour, and thought.[
6. Sleep problems are a feature of the disease and can be worsened by medications
7. Exercise in middle age reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease later in life
8. Although tobacco smoke causes adverse health effects, decreases life expectancy and quality of life, it may reduce the risk of PD by a third when compared to non-smokers.
9. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease
10. Muhammed Ali was the world's most famous Parkinson's patient"