The Effects Of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive and chronic neurodegenerative disorder. The disease is named after English physician James Parkinson, who made a detailed description of the disease in his essay: "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy" (1817). Parkinson 's disease belongs to a group of conditions called movement disorders. It is characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor, a slowing of physical movement (bradykinesia) and, in extreme cases, a loss of physical movement (akinesia) (Sue, Sue, Sue & Sue, 2014). Early symptoms of Parkinson’s include small handwriting, loss of smell, and restricted facial expression. Over time the disease worsens and symptoms become more pronounced and affect the quality of life. Shaking, slurred or slow speech and

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,

Nerve cells in the substantia nigra send out fibers to other parts of the brain and release dopamine. Dopamine serves as a chemical messenger allowing communication between the substantia nigra and another area of the brain called the corpus striatum. When functioning, this system coordinates fine and gross motor skills. The gradual degeneration of the substantia nigra causes a lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which results in an inability to control body movements. Parkinson disease can also affect emotions and cognition as dopamine also helps regulate emotional responses. Approximately 15 percent of people with Parkinson disease have a family history of this disorder. Both, Familial or non-inherited cases of Parkinson disease may be caused by mutations in the LRRK2, PARK2, PARK7, PINK1, or SNCA genes. (National Library of Medicine, 2012). Maybe output in what they all do. Medicine net. Alterations in certain genes do not seem to cause Parkinson’s disease but may modify the risk of developing the