Q&A: What are 3 important things we need to know about Parkinson’s Disease?

There are several important things you can find at NINDS-NIH (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health, at MJFF (Michael J Fox Foundation),
PDF (Parkinson’s Disease Foundation) or at several other websites and Parkinson’s blogs.

But let’s make this easier.

You could talk show the triangle which leads to dopamine cell death: Dopamine – alpha synuclein – calcium
http://parkinsonsfocustoday.blogspot.com/2009/05/parkinsons-disease-triad-for-dopamine.html

You could talk about the shortage of the three neurotransmitters which lead to the imbalance of homeostasis in the brain:
dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin

Three types of symptoms in PD: motor, non-motor, sensory

Important things about the disease:
More men than women develop the disease (except in Japan)
Although between 40-60% of PwPs have Parkinson’s depression and/or anxiety issues, the suicide rate is unexpectedly low
Depression, anxiety, loss of cognitive skills are non-motor symptoms of this disease

Parkinson’s disease reduces life expectancy between 3-9 years but that does not include quality of life before death.
Leading causes of death for Parkinson’s patients: Aspiration Pneumonia & bronchitis, Falls
Parkinson’s disease is the 14th leading cause of death per CDC 2005

Parkinson’s disease was not only known but had a name in Ayurvedic medicine in India:
“Kamp-vata” over 5,000 years ago
In China is was grouped with the conditions with “half the wind reduced”
In Western medicine in 1861-1862 Jean-Martin Charcot and Alfred Vulpain added more symptoms to James Parkinson’s description of the Shaking Palsy in his essay published in 1817 and then named it after Parkinson.
note: the disease has been mentioned and described throughout history
http://viartis.net/parkinsons.disease/history.htm

There are three defined age groups for PD:
Juvenile 2-20 years
Young or Early Onset PD 21-50 or 55 years
And older age onset from 60 up
note: juvenile and much of early onset PD is felt to be genetic in origin with environmental triggers

Parkinson’s disease is not easily diagnosed – various scans are actually used to rule out other conditions.
The actual diagnosis is supposed to be made by a neurologist specializing in motion disorders
Parkinson’s is sometimes confused with PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy), MSA (formerly known as Shy-Drager syndrome) and other parkinsonian conditions, Wilson’s disease, Essential Tremor, Dystonia

Aside from medication, Forced Exercise, Massage and Nutritional Supplements can be powerful treatments for slowing the progression of PD
http://parkinsonsfocustoday.blogspot.com/2009/05/forced-exercise-to-relieve-parkinsons.html
http://parkinsonsfocustoday.blogspot.com/2009/07/massage-therapy-adjusting-to-parkinsons.html
http://parkinsonsfocustoday.blogspot.com/2009/01/parkinsons-disease-and-coq10.html

Parkinson’s disease has several seemingly unrelated symptoms:
Movement disorders: tremor, freezing movement, slow movement, rigidity & stiffness
which affect fingers, toes curling, arms, legs, shoulders, swallowing, breathing, facial expression, GI problems, urinary problems, constipation, stooped shuffling gait, balance problems, cramped handwriting, lack of vocal expression, soft voice,
Non-motor issues include depression, sleep disorders, cognitive issues, loss of sense of smell, dementia, vision problems, dry or oily skin, dental issues, weight loss
Medication side-effects: dyskinesias (dystonia), hallucinations (which can also occur with disease) delusions, hypo-tension, nausea, .rash, loss of appetite, muscle cramps, impulse control, diarrhea…

I hope this helps.