Parkinsons

A detailed Summary of Parkinsons

The world has many diseases and illnesses but we do not realize the destructiveness of these complications because there are cures for them. There are only a few diseases today that no cures exists for such as Cancer and HIV but the one we tend to overlook is Parkinson's. This is a disease that affects many people in the United States today and has for many years. Parkinson's will continue to be a disease of mystery because the causes and cures have yet to be discovered. I have had a direct relationship with the unpredictable and incurable disease, which resulted in the death of my great grandfather. I watched as the effects of Parkinson's strengthened over years resulting in the formation of a man that I no longer knew. This was my motivation for this paper; I wanted to discover what was happening to my grandfather, which changed my life and his life forever.

Parkinson's was first described in 1817 by British physician James Parkinson in his Essay on the Shaking Palsy (Fahn, 1999). Various types of this disease are now recognized but the most common form is Parkinson's disease. It is also called idiopathic Parkinsonism because the cause of nuerodegeneration and this form of the disorder is unknown(

Although we do not know why the disease occurs, we do know what exactly happens and evolves from Parkinson's. Parkinsonism results from the deterioration of neurons in the region for the brain called the substantia nigra. In this part of the brain the neurons normally produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, which sends signals to the basal ganglia, a mass of nerve fibers that help to initiate and control patterns of movement (Fahn, 1999). Dopamine functions in the brain as an inhibitor of nerve impulses and is involved in suppressing unintended movement. When the dopamine-producing neurons are damaged of destroyed, dopamine levels drop and the normal signaling system is disrupted (Fahn,1999). Insufficient dopamine disturbs the balance between dopamine and other transmitters, such as acetylcholine. Without dopamine the nerve cells cannot properly transmit messages, which can result in the loss of muscle function. The disease may affect one of both sides of the body, as it advances the immune system weakens, resulting in development of ulcers, pneumonia, and swallowing can be impaired. Most patients do not die from Parkinson's rather for unrelated, natural causes. The disease itself will never disappear and will always be present in the body.

Clinical Reference Systems. 1999. Parkinson's Disease. Clinical Reference Syestms, crsw10440. http:\ehostvgw13.

Seppa, Nathan. 1999. The give and take of Parkinson's treatment. Science News, v156(33), pp 342-346.

As I mentioned my great grandfather suffered from Parkinson's. He was diagnosed with the disease in 1968 at 61 years old. In the early stages of the disease he began tremors which resulted in the shaking of his hands and head. Over the years the tremors increased and his whole body including his insides began to shake. I was only able to encounter the last 16 years of the disease, whi

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Category: Science