Parkinson disease

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Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (IPA: /ˈpɑːr.kɪn.sən/), also known as PD, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms generally come on slowly over time. Early in the disease, the most obvious are shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with walking. Thinking and behavioral problems may also occur. Dementia becomes common in the advanced stages of the disease. Depression and anxiety are also common, occurring in more than a third of people with PD. Other symptoms include sensory, sleep, and emotional problems.

Etymology

The disease is named after the English doctor James Parkinson, who published the first detailed description in An Essay on the Shaking Palsy, in 1817.

Symptoms

Parkinson's disease affects movement, producing motor symptoms. Non-motor symptoms, which include dysautonomia, cognitive and neurobehavioral problems, and sensory and sleep difficulties, are also common. Some of these non-motor symptoms may be present at the time of diagnosis.

Causes

The cause of Parkinson's disease is generally unknown, but believed to involve both genetic and environmental factors. Those with a family member affected are more likely to get the disease themselves. There is also an increased risk in people exposed to certain pesticides and among those who have had prior head injuries.

Treatment

There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, with treatment directed at improving symptoms. Initial treatment is typically with the medication levodopa (L-DOPA), with dopamine agonists and MAO-B inhibitors used as second-line drugs. As the disease progresses and neurons continue to be lost, these medications become less effective while at the same time they produce a complication marked by involuntary writhing movements.

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