Parkinson’s Disease

A brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.

Parkinson's disease is a brain disorder that leads to shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with walking, balance, and coordination

Symptoms

Symptoms of Parkinson's disease usually begin gradually and worsen over time. Parkinson's disease has four main symptoms:

  • Tremor (trembling) in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head
  • Stiffness of the limbs and trunk
  • Slowness of movement
  • Impaired balance and coordination, sometimes leading to falls

Other symptoms may include:

  • depression and other emotional changes
  • difficulty swallowing, chewing, and speaking
  • urinary problems or constipation
  • skin problems
  • sleep disruptions.

Prevalence

Over 10 million people around the world live with PD. The incidence of Parkinson's disease increases with age, but an estimated 4 percent of people with Parkinson's disease are diagnosed before the age of 50. Men are 1.5 times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than women.

Prognosis

Parkinson's disease is not directly fatal, but it can be a burden to the body and make some people vulnerable to serious and life-threatening infections. However, advances in treatment have made life expectancy normal or near normal for most people with Parkinson's disease.

When to seek help

Treatment

  • Medication:
  • The main therapy for Parkinson's is levodopa, also called L-dopa which is usually supplemented with another medication called carbidopa.  
  • Carbidopa prevents or reduces some of the side effects of levodopa therapy—such as nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, and restlessness—and reduces the amount of levodopa needed to improve symptoms.

N.B.: People with Parkinson's disease should never stop taking levodopa without telling their doctor. Sudden discontinuation of a drug can have serious side effects like being unable to move or having difficulty breathing.

  • Other medicines used to treat Parkinson’s symptoms include:
  • Dopamine agonists to mimic the role of dopamine in the brain
  • MAO-B inhibitors to slow down an enzyme that breaks down dopamine in the brain
  • COMT inhibitors to help break down dopamine
  • Amantadine, an old antiviral drug, to reduce involuntary movements
  • Anticholinergic drugs to reduce tremors and muscle rigidity
  • Deep Brain Stimulation
  • Other therapies like physical, occupational, and speech therapies, which help with gait and voice disorders, tremors and rigidity, and decline in mental functions.  
  • Other supportive therapies include a healthy diet and exercises to strengthen muscles and improve balance.