Parkinsons Disease Essays (616 words) - Parkinsons Disease, Medicine

Parkinson's Disease Microbes and Society 03/06/00 Parkinson's Disease Parkinson's disease usually affects people of late middle age. Most run between the age of 50-60. The symptoms of Parkinson's disease are usually subtle and occur gradually. Some examples of symptoms a person may have, are feeling shaky or having trouble getting up from a chair or a couch. Others may notice that their speaking is softer or quieter. They will lose track of a thought or feel irritable or even depressed for no reason. These are early symptoms that may last a long time before the more classic and obvious symptoms appear. For now there is no way to cure or prevent Parkinson's disease from happening., but there has been new research looking at (PET) Position Emission Topography. This will allow scientists to scan the brain, which see chemical change that occurs in the brain. Using PET scientists can study the brain's nerve cells that are affected by disease. IF you are in the major stages of Parkinson's disease the major symptoms are tremors, problems walking, bradykinesia, and rigidity. Rigidity is an increase of stiffness in the muscles. If it is eased by medications, rigidity is always present. It's also responsible for a mask like expression. In some patients it leads to sensations of pain in the arms and shoulders. Secondly, victims with experience bradykinesia, which means slowness of movement. It causes the brains to react slower in its transmission of instructions to parts of the body therefore causing the body to act slowly in carrying them out. Poor balance is often true when victims move abruptly. Some patients experience falls due to poor balance. Last are tremors, they will affect three out of four patients. Tremors may affect only one part or side of the body. For the most part they don't disable people and it disappears during sleep. Some minor symptoms are depression, emotional changes, memory loss, difficulty swallowing, and chewing. At this point there is no cure for Parkinson's disease but there are a wide variety of medications that provide relief for the symptoms. Treatments are determined by how much the symptoms affect the person by a physician. Most of the medications will have to be adjusted to a countable dosage for the patients. In the early stage the physicians begin with one or two less powerful drugs. They saved the most powerful medicines for the time when patients need it the most. One of the most common medicines is Levodopa. Levodopa allows the nerve cells to use it to make dopamine with which the brain can use. It prevents or delays some symptoms in most patients. It also extends the time in which some patients can lead some normal lives. There are some side effects that could happen like nausea, vomiting, low-blood pressure, and restlessness. Symmevel which is used as an anti flu medication but it is also used with Parkinson's patients too. It reduces the symptoms of rigidity. Some other is anthicholinergics, selegiline, and deprehyl. A physician will also strongly suggest that to remain active in the early stages they will tell you to perform daily activities as much as possible. Taking supplements of vitamin E is showed to help somewhat. For the tremors, medication or anything relaxing will sooth them down too. When Parkinson's disease gets in the later stages physicians will help design exercise programs to help meet your specific needs. Last, they will also suggest for you to get a cane or a walker because the patient will be more prone to fall. Bibliography Parkinson's Disease Resource Center http//www.healingwell.com/parkinsons/info.htm Parkinson's Disease Foundation Inc., http://www.parkinsons-foundation.org Discovery Health: Parkinson's diseases, http://www.discoveryhealth.com PlanetR.com Science