Smart Systems For Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years.
What is Parkinson’s Disease
The three main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are:
- involuntary shaking of particular parts of the body (tremor)
- slow movement
- stiff and inflexible muscles
A person with Parkinson’s disease can also experience a wide range of other physical and psychological symptoms, including:
- depression and anxiety
- balance problems – this may increase the chance of a fall
- loss of sense of smell anosmis
- problems sleeping (insomnia)
- memory problems
Read more about the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
Causes of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain called the substantia nigra. This leads to a reduction in a chemical called dopamine in the brain.
Dopamine plays a vital role in regulating the movement of the body. A reduction in dopamine is responsible for many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Exactly what causes the loss of nerve cells is unclear. Most experts think that a combination of genetic and environmental factors is responsible.
Who’s affected?
It’s thought around 1 in 500 people are affected by Parkinson’s disease, which means there are an estimated 127,000 people in the UK with the condition.
Most people with Parkinson’s start to develop symptoms when they’re over 50, although around 1 in 20 people with the condition first experience symptoms when they’re under 40.
Men are slightly more likely to get Parkinson’s disease than women.
Treating Parkinson’s Disease
Although there’s currently no cure for Parkinson’s disease, treatments are available to help reduce the main symptoms and maintain quality of life for as long as possible.
These include:
- supportive treatments – such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy
- medication
- in some cases, brain surgery
You may not need any treatment during the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, as symptoms are usually mild. However, you may need regular appointments with your specialist so your condition can be monitored.
Outlook
As the condition progresses, the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can get worse and it can become increasingly difficult to carry out everyday activities without assistance.
Many people respond well to treatment and only experience mild to moderate disability, whereas the minority may not respond as well and can, in time, become more severely disabled.
Parkinson’s disease doesn’t directly cause people to die, but the condition can place great strain on the body, and can make some people more vulnerable to serious and life-threatening infections.
However, with advances in treatment, most people with Parkinson’s disease now have a normal or near-normal life expectancy.
It may also be useful to read your guide to care and support – written for people with care and support needs, as well as their carers and relatives.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease usually develop gradually and are mild at first.
There are many different symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. Some of the more common symptoms are described below.
However, the order in which these develop and their severity is different for each individual. It’s unlikely that a person with Parkinson’s disease would experience all or most of these.
Main Symptoms
The three main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease affect physical movement:
- tremor – shaking, which usually begins in the hand or arm and is more likely to occur when the limb is relaxed and resting
- slowness of movement (bradykinesia) – where physical movements are much slower than normal, which can make everyday tasks difficult and can result in a distinctive slow, shuffling walk with very small steps
- muscle stiffness (rigidity) – stiffness and tension in the muscles, which can make it difficult to move around and make facial expressions, and can result in painful muscle cramps (dystonia)
These main symptoms are sometimes referred to by doctors as parkinsonism as there can be causes other than Parkinson’s disease.
Other symptoms
Parkinson’s disease can also cause a range of other physical and mental symptoms.
Physical Symptoms
- balance problems – these can make someone with the condition more likely to have a fall and injure themselves
- loss of sense of smell (anosmia) – sometimes occurs several years before other symptoms develop
- nerve pain – can cause unpleasant sensations, such as burning, coldness or numbness
- problems with urination – such as having to get up frequently during the night to urinate or unintentionally passing urine (urinary incontinence)
- constipation
- an inability to obtain or sustain an erection (erectile dysfunction) in men
- difficulty becoming sexually aroused and achieving an orgasm (sexual dysfunction) in women
- dizziness, blurred vision or fainting when moving from a sitting or lying position to a standing one – caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure
- excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
- swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) – this can lead to malnutrition and dehydration
- excessive production of saliva (drooling)
- problems sleeping (insomnia) – this can result in excessive sleepiness during the day
Cognitive and Psychiatric Symptoms
- depression and anxiety
- mild cognitive impairment – slight memory problems and problems with activities that require planning and organisation
- dementia– a group of symptoms, including more severe memory problems, personality changes, seeing things that aren’t there (visual hallucinations) and believing things that aren’t true (delusions)