Parkinson’s Disease

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s Disease is a common degenerative neurological disorder that affects more than 4 million people around the world. This disease is characterised by abnormal body movements. There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s Disease, but certain medications and treatment options are available to alleviate the symptoms and improve quality of daily life. Parkinson's Disease affects everybody in different ways, and sometimes associated disabilities or limitations of normal daily activities may take years to develop.

Sleep problems may be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease, even before motor symptoms have begun and these include:

Daytime sleepiness
Insomnia (difficulty falling asleep)
Nightmares
Sleep Apnea (or Obstructive Sleep Apnea)

1Causes

Causes

Parkinson’s Disease is caused by the progressive degeneration of a structure in the brain called Substantia Nigra. This structure is responsible for producing dopamine, a neurotransmitter (brain chemical) that controls movement. Lack or low levels of dopamine trigger symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. The underlying cause of this degeneration is not yet fully understood.

Continuing studies are investigating the potential links between Parkinson’s Disease and risk factors including ageing, environmental toxins and free radicals. Genetic causes are also being examined. However, only a small percentage of Parkinson’s Disease patients have a family history of the disease.

2Symptoms

Symptoms

The main symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease include:

Balancing difficulty when walking or standing
Difficulty swallowing and drooling
Emotionless face
Shaking arms and legs (when at rest)
Slow walking and slow movement
Stiff neck, legs and body

3Treatment

Treatment

Your doctor will evaluate your condition and then suggest treatment depending on your symptoms, age and other medical conditions. Treatment may include:

Deep Brain Stimulation, which uses electrical pulses to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
- Electric pulses to block the abnormal brain signals that could be causing the various neurological disorder
Dopaminergic therapy, which uses medication to compensate for the lost dopamine
- Dopamine Agonists mimic the action of natural dopamine
- Levodopa therapy delivers dopamine to the brain
Non-Dopaminergic therapy, which uses medications that do not directly involve dopamine
- Amantadine drug that increases the release of dopamine, or inhibits the release of another neurotransmitter called Glutamate
- Anti-Cholinergic drugs that inhibits the action of another neurotransmitter, called Acetylcholine, which becomes more active when dopamine levels go down
Treatment of movement disorders with oral medications or injections - Used to reduce the frequency and severity of abnormal movements