Parkinson’s Disease
Michael Jay Fox is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. In the year 1991, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Being a movie star and dealing with such a disease was not easy to hide, but this past year in the T.V. sitcom “The Michael Jay Fox Show,” he is able to stop hiding Parkinson’s disease from the spotlight. If you watch an episode, right away you are able to pick up on specific habits he endures. Mr. Fox is a face for the manifestation of this disease, as he spreads the awareness of Parkinson’s disease.
Many people, like myself, after watching an episode of “The Michael Jay Fox Show,” started to be come curious as to what exactly this disease is. You ask yourself; What is this disease? What causes it? Can it be passed down from generation to generation? Is there a treatment? What would your life be like suffering from this? Through my research on Parkinson’s disease, I am determined to answer these questions. I hope to have a better understanding on this disease, and how it affects the lives of patients that I might see in a hospital.
What exactly is Parkinson’s disease? It is a disease of the nervous system; it falls into a group of conditions called motor system disorders. The initial symptoms are normally tremors of a limb, especially when the body is resting. Bradykinesia, akinesia, and postural inability are also symptoms that occur. These symptoms will worsen over time (Genetics Home Reference).
Parkinson’s disease can come in two forms; there is a late-onset disease, and early-onset disease. Generally, the disease will begin after the age of 50, being the late-onset. In the early-onset cases, they can begin as early as the age of 20, and can be referred to as a juvenile-onset case...
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...ions, deep brain stimulation and therapies, doctors are prepared to help the patient prepare for the road ahead (“Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research). Although researchers are working hard to find a cure, the future for patients with this disease is not bright. We can only hope that one day there will be a discovery to help those suffering from this disease.
Works Cited
"About Parkinson's Disease." Research Is The Key to A Cure. The Michael Stern Research Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Jan 2014. .
"Parkinson Disease." Genetics Home Reference. Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, n.d. Web. May 2012. .
"Parkinson's Disease Causes." Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Feb 2013.
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People who have been diagnosed with this lifelong disease have either started to see the early signs and symptoms or have yet to recognize them. The negative impact that fatigue, loss of muscle strength and in-coordination has on the patients with Parkinson’s disease can be improved with a well-balanced exercise regimen. The three most common physical symptoms the patient will experience are tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia. “Tremors while at rest are the most common initial symptom and are present in around 70 percent of cases at disease onset. It often presents as a pill rolli...
With more than 200,000 US cases per year, Parkinson’s disease has become a major part
There is not a reason known as to why a person contracts Parkinson’s disease. There is no mystery as to what causes it, but when it comes to a cure and why it happens, that is the real mystery that medical experts have been trying to discover for years. When it comes down to some cases, Parkinson’s disease is genetically linked to a past relative. Other than the genetically inherited cases, no one knows why Parkinson’s disease strikes the people it does. When a person is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, they will find that as the condition progresses, they lose control of their body more and more every day.
Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that is named after "the English physician who first described it fully in 1817" (4). The disease causes disturbances in the motor functions resulting in patients having trouble moving. Other characteristics that are not always present in every patient are tremors and stiffening of limbs. All of these characteristics, of the disease are caused by "degeneration of a group of nerve cells deep within the center of the brain in an area called the substantia nigra" (5). Dopamine is the neurotransmitter for these cells to signal other nerve cells. However as the cluster of nerve cells fail to operate, the dopamine can not reach the areas of the brain that affects one's motor functions (5). On average Parkinson's patients have "less than half as much dopamine in their systems as healthy people do" (8). The problem and controversy that arises from this disease is in the cure. Researchers, for years, have been attempting to unravel the mystery of what causes Parkinson's disease and how it can be treated and or cur...
Nurse’s play a very important role in the delivery of care to an older person and in complex disease such as Parkinson’s disease, the care provided by a nurse is vital for both the patient and the family of the affected person. The aim of this essay is to understand briefly about Parkinson’s disease and associated issues and the role of the nurse in the management of the condition.
If I were to be the Chairman, or a member of the Subcommittee and had Michael J. Fox stand before me and speak to me about Parkinson’s and why it should be more than adequately funded, I would personally hand the $75 million to the Udall Parkinson’s Research Act. To say that Mr. Fox’s speech was effective would be an understatement. He was direct, compassionate, and respectful. Aside from verdantly referring to his celebrity status as insignificant in his testimony, throughout the piece Michael J. Fox does not fail to mention how Parkinson’s affects anyone who suffers from the disease. He is nothing but sympathetic. Even when he is alluding to the time when he revealed to the public what he was going through, he includes how the public, especially
Parkinson disease begins after the age of 40 years, with peak age of onset between 58 and 62 years. It is slightly more prevalent in males. This disease is one of the most prevalent of the primary CNS disorders and a leading cause of neurologic disability in individuals older than 60 years. The prevalence rate is 107 to 187 per 100,000 persons, with 40,000 new cases in the United States each year.
Michael J. Fox foundation is a very diligent place. The charity only deals with Parkinson’s disease. According to the foundation’s promise, it is “dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research” (MichaelJFoxFoundtion). The non-profit corporation, Michael J Fox foundation, with hard workers, is making an effort to cure the harmful
Parkinson’s affects about one million people within the United States and about five million people worldwide. Most individuals who develop Parkinson 's disease are 60 years of age or older. Parkinson 's disease occurs in approximately 1% of individuals aged 60 years and in about 4% of those aged 80 years (Heyn and Stoppler, 2013). Since overall life expectancy is rising, the number of individuals with Parkinson 's disease will increase in the future. According to Sweeny (2013) Parkinson’s affects approximately 1.5% to 2.0% of people aged 60 years and older. Though it is rare, young adults may also be diagnosed with PD. Before the age of age if 21, the diagnosis is deemed juvenile onset. Between the ages of 21 to 40 it is called early onset. A significantly higher incidence rate of Parkinson’s disease was found among men with the relative risk being 1.5 times greater in men than women. (Wooten, Currie, Bovbjerg, Lee, and & Patrie,
Goldmann, David R., and David A. Horowitz. American College of Physicians Home Medical Guide to Parkinson's Disease. New York: Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2000. Print.
James Parkinson first discovered Parkinson's Disease in 1817. Parkinson's Disease is a common neurologic disorder for the elderly. It is a disorder of the brain characterized by shaking and difficulty with walking, movement, and coordination. This disease is associated with damage to a part of the brain that controls muscle movement. Parkinson's Disease is a chronic illness that is still being extensively studied.
"Secondary Parkinsonism: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 11 May 2014.
Most signs and symptoms of Parkinson disease correspond to one of three motor deficiencies: bradykinesia, akinesia, tremor, and rigidity. The first two qualities are usually present before tremor, but often attributed to aging by the patient and even the physician, and thus the disease is rarely diagnosed until tremor becomes evident much later. An average of 80% of the nigrostriatal neurons may have already degenerated by the time Parkinsonism is diagnosed, which complicates treatment (Fitzgerald, 130). Bra...
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive movement disorder marked by tremors, rigidity, slow movements (bradykinesia), and postural instability. It is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by decreased production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter. Dopamine is responsible for most of the body’s smooth muscle movements. As a result, motor control in Parkinson’s patients is disrupted, causing anything from uncontrollable tremors to muscular stiffness to slow-as-molasses movements. (2) PD affects about 500,000 people in the United States, both men and women, with as many as 50,000 new cases each year. The disease usually begins in a person’s late 50’s and 60’s; it causes a progressive decline in movement control, affecting the ability to control initiation, speed, and the smoothness of motion. The symptoms of PD are seen in up to 15% of those between the ages of 65-74, and almost 30% of those were between the ages of 75-84. (3)
Parkinson’s disease has become front page news as of late. It has caught the attention of many due to its unrestricted and devastating effects. People from all walks of life can suffer from the disease. It has no economic, social, or religious boundaries. Well known celebrities such as Muhammad Ali, Michael J. Fox, Estelle Getty, Billy Graham, Janet Reno, Pope John Paul II, and Johnny Cash, among many others, have fallen victim to this debilitating ailment. Because Parkinson’s disease is “one of the most common neurologic disorders of older adults” (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2016, p. 867), it is important to review and learn about this disorder. Parkinson’s disease affects approximately four million people worldwide and