What is Parkinson's disease

Boxing legend Muhammed Ali died Friday at age 74 after a lengthy battle against Parkinson's disease. Ali was diagnosed with the disease in 1984, three years after he retired.


In the years to follow his retirement, Parkinson's disease began to take away Ali's motor skills and his ability to speak coherently, but he never strayed from the spotlight.

What is Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease is a "progressive disorder of the nervous system," according to Mayo Clinic,that primarily affects a patient's movement. It often starts with a small tremor in the hand or muscle stiffness and gets worse over time. There is no test for Parkinson's, so it is occasionally misdiagnosed.
Parkinson's patients often have trouble walking and talking. Symptoms include slowness of movement, a loss of balance and slurred speech. With Parkinson's disease, "you may have a decreased ability to perform unconscious movements, including blinking, smiling or swinging your arms when you walk," the Mayo Clinic says. The symptoms are often worse on one side of the body.

Whom does it affect?

Research has shown that men are more likely to get it than women, and it usually affects people over 50.In Nigeria, there are no statistics on the number of patients with Parkinson's.

What causes Parkinson's disease?
Your body uses a chemical called dopamine to control movement, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dopamine is produced by neurons in the brain, which begin to die with Parkinson's disease. With fewer live cells, a dopamine deficit occurs, causing movement issues.

 Scientists don't know what exactly causes these cells to start to deteriorate but believe it's a combination of genes and environmental causes. About 15% to 25% of Parkinson's patients have a family member with the disease, the Parkinson's Disease Foundation says.


In some cases, researchers have identified a single gene mutation that's passed from generation to generation, according to the Michael .J. Fox Foundation. "Mutations in the LRRK2 gene are the greatest genetic contributor to Parkinson's disease discovered to date," the site states. But in most cases, the cause is probably a combination of gene mutation.

Can you treat it?
There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but doctors can help patients cope with symptoms.A medication called levodopa is often given to patients to help their brains make more dopamine. It's often prescribed with carbidopa, which helps bring the levodopa into the brain.


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved deep brain stimulation, which is also used to treat depression, to reduce symptoms in Parkinson's patients. Electrodes are implanted into the brain and connected to a small device that emits programmed pulses to help control movement.


References

--- www.mayoclinic.com

----www.cnn.it/1u4cymp

---www.webmd.com