Writing, eating, drinking. Have you ever wondered how challenging would it be to do those simple daily tasks that normal men and women could do but is the opposite for people who have Parkinson’s Disease? There are an estimated seven to ten million people across the globe that suffers from this neurodegenerative disease which affects 50 percent more men than women.
With this said, raising awareness of this degenerative disease is essential, which is why we will be discussing the things you need to know about Parkinson’s Disease and how it affects an individual’s mobility.
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
The disease is named after the British doctor James Parkinson in 1817 which he first described as the shaking palsy disorder. The development of this disease has become rampant that it is now the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s Disease in the world.
The Parkinson’s Disease is most known for the degree of impairment it causes to an individual suffering this condition. In which, it causes fall-related issues due to the progressive loss of muscle control, resulting in trembling of the head and limbs, slowness, stiffness, and impaired balance, making it gradually for a person to have difficulty in walking, climbing the stairs, or any other simple tasks like talking.
What are the Causes of Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive declining of motor function due to the loss of dopamine-producing brain cell. While the cause of this disease is known, it is still yet undiscovered as to what causes the cells that produce dopamine to die.
In addition to this, people that suffer this condition also loses the nerve endings which produces the norepinephrine (the primary chemical messenger in the nervous system), which has control over many automatic functions of one’s body like heart rate and blood pressure. With this, one can say that due to the loss of norepinephrine, the non-movement symptoms of Parkinson’s occur such as fatigue, irregular blood pressure, a sudden drop in blood pressure when a person stands up from lying down or sitting.
The exact cause of Parkinson’s Disease is unknown. However, there are risk factors that were seen between genetics since some cases of Parkinson’s appears to be hereditary. Some researchers also believe that this disease results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors like exposure to toxins.
What are the Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease?
Listed below are the primary and secondary symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease which include the following:
Primary Symptoms
- Impaired balance
- Tremor
- Slowness
- Shuffling gait
Secondary Symptoms
- Dementia
- Depression
- Confusion
- Anxiety
How Does it Progress?
The Parkinson’s Disease can be defined in five stages which in the first stage, symptoms are mild and does not interfere with the person’s quality of life. On the second stage, the symptoms have worsened, and the daily activities a person have becomes more difficult for the patient.
Next, is the mid-stage Parkinson’s disease wherein an impaired motor function is slowly taking action like losing balance and slow movements. For the fourth stage, symptoms become severe that the patient needs assistance in walking and for one’s daily activities. Lastly, the individual is unable to walk and needs full-time aid in the person’s everyday life; this is now the most advanced stage for the disease.
How Can Parkinson’s Disease Affect One’s Mobility?
Parkinson’s disease proves that it can affect gait, balance, movement, and can actually cause constraints on mobility. This has become a problem for people suffering from this disease because functional tasks like drinking a glass of water or talking can become challenging to do so.
As what was stated beforehand, the occurrence of Parkinson’s disease happens due to the death of neurons or nerve cells in an area of the brain that controls the movement of the body. Because of the neurons dying, a vital brain chemical namely dopamine is produced less, causing the movement problems in people that suffer Parkinson’s disease.
Takeaway
If we think about it, mobility might be something we take for granted most of the time since there might not be a time that we expect to lose it nor to expect to get a degenerative disease like Parkinson’s. Therefore, what one can do is to maintain and take preventive measures as we age as much as possible.
With this said, if you or your loved ones are suffering from this disease at an early stage, then you could do some preventive exercises and preventative measures to minimize the risk of falls or injuries. Additionally, you should learn more about this disease so that you will know what actions to take and the medications that you should consider. Read books or visit sites that might add to your learning like pharmaquotes.com, so that you ‘ll be of help to yourself or loved ones with this condition.
