Parkinson's Disease Research Paper

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological degenerative disorder that affects movement. It was discovered and analyze by James Parkinson in 1817. This disease is a progressive disease; it gets worse with the passing of the years. The disease itself is not deadly, but it has serious side effects. The CDC rated these complications as the 14th cause of deaths in the U.S.

The average age of diagnostic of PD is 62. Any person diagnosed before 50 is considered to have Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease. This type of patients, have a slower disease progression and because their brains are younger, they are more likely to respond to treatment due to their neuroplasticity.

A specific cause of this disease has not yet been found, it’s considered idiopathic . But studies have shown that a decrease of dopamine levels will lead to the disease.

In stage 2, the symptoms are more evident and daily-life activities become harder; at this stage tremors happen on both sides of the body. During stage 3, symptoms become more severe and impair daily-life activities; the person begins to loss balance and bradykinesia begins to appear. In stage 4, the person is still able to stand on their own, but unable to live alone. And finally, during stage 5 the person might be unable to walk; 24/7 nurse care is needed and the person might start hallucinating or having delusions.

There isn’t any cure for Parkinson’s disease, but treatment help reduce and slower the symptoms of the disease. Prescription medication include dopamine agonists , MAO inhibitor and anticholinergic . Over-the-counter medication are vitamin E, C, and Coenzyme Q10 . Another type of treatment is Deep Brain Stimulation, or DBS; in which a small electrode is implant in your brain and it sends electrical impulses to stimulate the parts of the brain that cause some of the symptoms of