Danger level: Medium

What is it?

Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder that can affect the body’s movement, speech and other functions.

Who gets it?

About 1% of people over age 60 have Parkinson’s disease. It’s about 1.5 times more common in men than in women. It usually starts around age 60 (and can start at a younger age, but it is uncommon. An example of Parkinson’s at a young age is actor Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed at age 37).

What causes it?

There is an area in our brain which is called the substantia nigra (This literally means “black substance” in Latin. It’s called this way since when looking at that area in the brain it looks dark, as you can see in the picture below). The nerve cells (neurons) in this area produce a substance called dopamine, which is responsible for sending signals to the part of our brain which is in charge of movement.

In Parkinson’s disease the cells in this area die for an unknown reason and no longer produce dopamine. This causes the symptoms of Parkinson’s, which advance as more of these cells die.

The brain. The substantia nigra is number 29 (with a red box around it). Photo by John A Beal, PhD

About 10-15% of people with Parkinson’s have at least one close family member (parent or sibling) with the disease

How does it feel?

The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be divided into two groups: symptoms which are related to movement, and those that aren’t.

Symptoms related to movement

1. Tremor – It’s most prominent at rest, and decreases with movement. The most common type of tremor here occurs in the hand, and is called “pill rolling”, since it looks as if the person is rolling pills in their fingers.
2. Slowness of movement – In the arms, it can cause difficulty with buttoning clothes, tying shoelaces etc. It can cause the person to drag the legs while walking, take shorter, shuffling steps, or feel unsteady.
3. Stiffness (rigidity) – This causes stiffened movement of the body.
4. Poor balance – People with Parkinson’s tend to fall or to feel off-balance.

Other things which are related to movement are a propensity for small handwriting, decreased expression in the face (sometimes called “poker face” or “mask face”) and less blinking. They may also have problems with speech.

Symptoms not related to movement

1. Problems with thinking and memory – This includes things like difficulty making decisions or multi-tasking, or remembering recent events.
2. Psychosis and hallucinations – Psychosis is a disorder of thinking in which the person loses touch with reality. Hallucinations are perceptions the person has although they shouldn’t – For example, seeing or hearing something that isn’t there.
3. Depression, anxiety or apathy.
4. Sleeping problems

And others.

In this video, in which Katie Couric interviews Michael J. Fox, you can see how the disease manifests:

How is it discovered?

There aren’t any blood tests or brain imaging techniques which can discover if you have Parkinson’s. This is why to diagnose Parkinson’s, the doctor will use the story and the symptoms they see to determine if someone has the disease or not. If they fit the explanation above, an experienced physician can diagnose Parkinson’s disease.

How is it treated?

There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s disease. There are a few options that can decrease the symptoms and improve the quality of life:

1. Drugs – There are many sorts of drugs used to treat Parkinson’s, which all lead to a common result – Raising the level of dopamine in the body (the substance produced by the cells dying in the disease).
2. Surgery– An example of a surgery which is done here is deep brain stimulation. This is a procedure in which a medical device is implanted in the brain and sends electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain. It’s used in people for whom the drugs are ineffective.

What happens after treatment?

Parkinson’s disease is progressive, meaning that it tends to get worse with time. The rate is different in different people. Most people do well with treatment for many years, but there are no certainties.

The bottom line: How do I avoid it?

Unfortunately, there is currently no way to prevent Parkinson’s disease.

There are a few blogs you can visit to read the personal stories of Parkinson’s patients: Life With Shaky; Shake, Rattle and Roll; Shaky’s World; and The PD Warrior.

If you have any personal stories of your own to share, you’re invited to use the comments.

What next?

Get free site updates by RSS or by Email, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.