Parkinson’s disease, also known as Parkinson’s disease, is a degenerative brain disease characterized by changes in movement, tremors, muscle stiffness, slow movement and imbalance, the cause of which, although little known, is due to the wear and tear of the brain regions responsible for the production of dopamine, a major brain neurotransmitter.
This disease usually occurs in people over the age of 50, but it can occur early in some cases and, to control symptoms, medications, such as levodopa, are used to help replenish dopamine and other substances needed for nerve stimulation and movement control.
- Signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease begin gradually.
- Almost imperceptibly at first.
- But worsen over time.
- The main ones are:.
It only occurs at rest, i. e. it gets worse when the person stops and improves when they move.
It usually predominates on one side of the body, being more present in the hand, arm, legs or chin.
This happens with difficulty moving, giving a feeling of stiffness, preventing activities such as walking, opening arms, climbing and lowering stairs.
Therefore, it is common for posture to become more arched. Freezing can also occur, i. e. when the person has trouble getting out of place.
Due to the difficulty in controlling movements, it is difficult to maintain balance and maintain posture, with a high risk of falls, in addition to a lower ability to react to stimuli, because the movements are compromised.
To diagnose Parkinson’s disease, the neurologist or geriatrician will assess the presence of these signs and symptoms, through the patient’s history and physical examination, requiring the presence of at least 3 of them.
In addition, other symptoms that are very present in this disease are:
Your doctor may also prescribe other tests, such as MAGNETIC resonance imaging and CT of the skull, blood tests, or an electroencephalogram, for example, to rule out other causes of changes in movement, which may be confused with Parkinson’s disease, such as tremors, aftermath of stroke, tumor, advanced syphilis, progressive supranuclear palsy, or even the use of certain medications, such as haloperidol For example.
Anyone can develop Parkinson’s disease because it is not an inherited disease, it is the result of brain degeneration, which causes the death of neurons in the black substance, an important area of the brain related to dopamine production and which is the cause of the main signs and symptoms. of this disease.
Scientific studies have been conducted to try to understand more definitively the causes of Parkinson’s disease and it has now been shown that the population of gut bacteria can influence the development of Parkinson’s disease and other brain diseases.
Although more evidence is still needed, it is already known that the intestine has a nervous connection with the brain, and that the predominance of bad bacteria in the intestine, through an unhealthy diet, rich in carbohydrates and industrialized products, can lead to changes in the body’s metabolism and immunity, in addition to damaging the health of neurons.
Thus, although the reason why the brain degenerates is still unknown, and therefore there is no cure yet, there are treatments that can help reduce symptoms and give quality of life to people with Parkinson’s disease.
Treatment of Parkinson’s disease is done with the use of lifetime medications, which help reduce symptoms and slow disease progression. The main drug used is levodopa, which helps replenish the amount of dopamine, an important neurotransmitter for controlling movement, and some subtle examples are Prolopa and Carbidopa.
Other remedies that are also used to improve symptoms are bipereden, amantadine, seleginine, bromocriptine and pramipexole, especially in the early stages. Physical therapy, physical activity and occupational therapy are also very important to aid in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, as they promote movement. restoration and recovery. Learn more about how Parkinson’s disease is treated.
In the most advanced stages, a promising treatment is deep brain stimulation surgery, which has been performed in major neurology centers, and that improves the patient’s symptomatology and quality of life, learn more about the indications and how deep brain stimulation is performed.