Parkinson's Disease: Memory Loss, Sleeping Difficulties And Other Symptoms You Should Know

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Globally, Parkinson's disease remains a leading degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, second only to Alzheimer's disease. It has been shown to affect an estimated seven million people across the globe and tends to be more common among the elderly population who are above 60 years old. However, about 5-10% of people with Parkinson's disease develop the condition when they are between 20-50 years old, a condition that has been described as young-onset Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, although a number of studies have proposed that this disease is commoner among men than women, this has yet to be proven.

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This article aims to highlight salient facts you should know about this neurodegenerative disease.


1. What is the cause of Parkinson's disease?

This medical condition essentially results from the death of dopamine-producing cells located in the substantia nigra of the midbrain. However, the exact cause of the death is not yet known even though it may have a genetic basis in some people. About 15% of persons with Parkinson's disease have a first-degree relative with the condition. Furthermore, environmental factors such as exposure to pesticides/herbicides, head injuries, farming or rural living as well as exposure to heavy metals may pose a significant risk for Parkinson's disease.


2. What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

It is a fact that Parkinson's disease primarily affects movement and thereby causes motor symptoms including resting tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement (bradykinesia) and postural instability. Notably, tremor is the most conspicuous symptom in this disease and the tremor is such that improves with voluntary movement or during sleep but is aggravated when the limb is at rest. An individual with Parkinson's disease may also experience disorders of speech, mood, memory and thought. Sometimes, they find it difficult recalling learned information. In fact, someone who has Parkinson's disease is 2-6 times more likely to experience dementia compared with the general population. In addition, these patients often have sleeping difficulties.


3. How is Parkinson's disease diagnosed?

A provisional diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is usually made from a typical medical history obtained from the patient or relatives followed by a thorough neurological examination. CT or MRI scans of the brain may help to exclude other disorders that present with similar symptoms. Furthermore, improvement of motor symptoms with levodopa, a dopamine precursor helps to confirm the diagnosis. Autopsies carried out on the midbrain of dead Parkinson's disease patients reveal Lewy bodies which are pathognomonic of the disease condition.


4. How is Parkinson's disease treated?

Although there is no established cure for this condition, certain medications and surgeries tend to provide significant relief from the symptoms. For instance, for over three decades, levodopa has been the most widely used medication. It is often combined with carbidopa or benserazide to prevent peripheral conversion to dopamine, hence limiting various side effects such as nausea, joint stiffness and dyskinesias (movement disorders). Where these drugs fail to achieve significant improvement in symptoms, deep brain stimulation can be performed which involves implanting a pacemaker into the brain to send electrical impulses to specific parts of the organ leading to reduction in motor symptoms.


5. Can Parkinson's disease be prevented?

Research has shown that consumption of caffeine and caffeinated beverages such as coffee appears to confer some protection against Parkinson's disease. Similarly, antioxidants such as vitamin C may protect against this disease, although this has not been proven.

Lastly, it is worthy of note that nicotine found in tobacco smoke may act as a dopamine stimulant and reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease by thirty-three percent compared to nonsmokers. However, smokers have a reduced life expectancy and quality of life.

Image credit: webmd.com
 
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