Parkinson's disease: symptoms, causes, signs, treatment

What it is - Parkinson's disease, or trembling paralysis - a neurodegenerative disease with a chronic, steadily progressing course, which is based on the gradual death of dopaminergic neurons in the black substance of the brain.

These neurons produce the dopamine substance responsible for the human motor sphere. With its lack of specific, related to the movement of the problem.

Pathology refers to the diseases of the elderly, its debut is about 60-65 years, but there are cases of early onset at the age of 40 years.

Causes of Parkinson's Disease

How does the disease develop and what is it? Today, the causes of Parkinson's disease are not fully understood. For modern medicine, the issue of cell death of dopamine-producing cells remains unanswered, but there are speculations about possible provoking factors.

To the risk factors are:

• elderly;
  
• genetic predisposition;
  
• long-term use of a number of certain drugs;
  
• cerebrovascular diseases;
  
• infectious diseases of the nervous system( encephalitis);
  
instagram viewer
• poisoning with toxic substances( carbon monoxide, pesticides);
  
• trauma to the nervous system;
  
• ecology( accommodation nearby industrial enterprises);
  
• intracellular metabolism disorder;
  
• accommodation in the countryside;
  
• oncological diseases.

According to one theory, the disease can develop as a result of damage to nerve cells by free radicals.

Classification of the disease

Parkinson's disease is classified according to the form, stage and rate of progression. The form of the disease may vary with time and depends on the prevalence of clinical symptoms.

1. 1) Throbbing. It is characterized by a constant tremor of limbs and the head at a certain pace with medium and large amplitude.
   
2. 2) The trembling-rigid form is manifested by the trembling of the far limbs( hands) and the stiffness of arbitrary movements.
   
3. 3) Rigid-bradykinetic. It is characterized by a constant muscular tension followed by the development of contractures. Active movements slow down so much that full immobility occurs.

There are five stages in the development of Parkinson's disease due to the fact that the pathology is continuously progressing.

1. 1) At first, the limbs of one half of the body are involved in the process, the functions are not significantly affected.
   
2. 2) The second stage is manifested by a mild bilateral defeat without disturbance of balance.
   
3. 3) In the third stage, there are functional limitations during the execution of any manipulation. Moderate instability allows you to move independently.
   
4. 4) The fourth stage is characterized by a significant loss of motor activity. The ability to walk and stand is preserved, but dependence on others is already complete.
   
5. 5) The fifth stage leads to a complete disability without the ability to move around.

The slow rate of progression is characteristic of the trembling form. Between the stages can take more than five years. A fast pace implies a transition from one stage to another for two years or even less. At a moderate rate of disease development, the alternation of stages occurs over a period of 3-5 years.

Symptoms of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease, the first symptoms of which occur when the content of dopamine in the black substance of the brain is reduced by 80%, and the number of neurons is reduced by 50%.

Parkinson's disease manifests itself as motor impairment:

1. 1) Tremor - fast and rhythmic limb movements caused by muscle contractions. Trembling increases with emotional and physical overstrain;
   
2. 2) Hypokinesia - insufficient motor activity with limited movement volume;
   
3. 3) Muscular rigidity - a sharp increase in tone;
   
4. 4) Postural instability - the difficulty of overcoming the inertia of rest and motion.

The disease has pronounced characteristic clinical symptoms, which are usually first attributed to the aging process. These include:

• uncertain gait with small steps;
  
• slow motion;
  
• hand and head trembling, which appears at rest;
  
• change of handwriting( it becomes small);
  
• lack of facial expressions, which makes the face masky;
  
• reduction of blinking movements;
  
• stiffness of the muscles;
  
• inexpressive monotonous speech.

A person suffering from Parkinson's disease has difficulty trying to change the position of the body. To get up from a chair or go from a standing position, you need to make an effort. When walking, it creates the feeling that the body is ahead of the legs, as it is slightly tilted forward.

The loss of stability and fall due to the displacement of the center of gravity is a frequent phenomenon that is also related to the impossibility of stopping in time. With Parkinson's disease, to complete the movement is as difficult as starting it. There is a tendency to involuntary running after a push forward. Sometimes a person can freeze and spend hours in a tight state, and at times all his actions resemble automatic ones.

Movement disorders are accompanied by mental disorders. The circle of interests narrows, thinking becomes slow and superficial. Characteristic are also vegetative disorders, which is manifested in drooling, pain syndromes, hypotension, impotence in men. Many patients experience depression, apathy, anxiety.

Diagnosis and differential diagnosis

Clinical manifestations of the disease indicate that it has passed into an irreversible phase with the destruction of the regulatory dopaminergic system. The process of degeneration of neurons lasts very long, about 20-30 years.

Therefore, great importance is now attached to the development of preclinical diagnostics, which is carried out with the help of molecular genetic analysis, research of vegetative and cognitive functions, transcranial sonography.

Thanks to these studies, it is possible to form a risk group for Parkinson's disease for carrying out early neuroprotective measures, which at this stage are very effective for the recognition of hidden traits.

If the pathology has already shown itself clinically, it is not difficult to diagnose it. For this, the following criteria are used:

• one-sided start;
  
• resting tremor;
  
• persistent and high effect of taking L-Dioxyphenylalanine( levodopa) - an amino acid, an intermediate product of dopamine biosynthesis, norepinephrine, epinephrine and melanin;
  
• for more than 10 years;
  
• slow progression;
  
• absence of organic brain damage during MRI.

For the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, a minimum of three criteria must be met.

Differential diagnosis is performed without additional methods of investigation, only on the basis of clinical indicators. The diseases with which Parkinson's disease should be differentiated include:

• hepatolenticular degeneration;
  
• disease of diffuse Levy systems;
  
• juvenile parkinsonism;
  
• multisystem atrophy;
  
• Alzegger disease;
  
• secondary parkinsonism( vascular, drug, toxic, tumor).

Parkinson's disease is not characterized by acute onset and rapid development, early vegetative insufficiency, dementia, cerebellar signs, strictly unilateral symptoms for more than three years.

Treatment of Parkinson's Disease

Since the etiology of the disease is not fully understood, etiotropic treatment of Parkinson's disease does not exist. The therapy occurs in several directions and is oriented towards slowing( stopping) the degeneration of neurons, reducing the main symptoms, physical and socio-psychological rehabilitation.

For this purpose, anti-Parkinsonian drugs are used that eliminate motor disturbances. These include medicines containing levodopa, anticholinergics, amantadine preparations, dopamine receptor agonists, MAO-B inhibitors. Treatment should be comprehensive, continuous, individually selected.

Surgical intervention is possible, but it does not prevent the development of pathology and is carried out according to strict indications.

Prognosis of treatment

The prognosis is unfavorable, as the pathology progresses, leads to disability, disability and reduced life expectancy. Drugs only inhibit the development of symptoms, but do not cure the disease.

I weighed 92 kg! Fat went 3 kg a week! For this, I drank a glass before bed. ..

Nail fungus is afraid of this as fire! If in cool water. ..

Varicose veins disappear in a few days! Just need once a day to smear your legs. ..

"Dedovskiy" method to quit smoking! In 7 days you will forget about cigarettes forever!