Everything you need to know about
Parkinson's Disease
by
Parkinson's symptoms and progression
Parkinson’s vs other dementias
Risks, prevention and treatment
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative movement disorder that is characterized by slowness of movement, rigidity, and tremors. After movement becomes gradually impaired, people often develop dementia. The disease is linked to the death of dopamine-producing cells, which produce the neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in motor control.
Return
Next
Common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
Tremor
Rigid and stiff muscles
Slowed movement
Difficulty writing
Changes in sleep patterns
Return
Next
Common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
Changes in speech
Difficulty with balance and posture
Loss of automatic movements
Depression or anxiety
Memory loss, difficulty with attention
Return
Next
What is the difference between Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease?
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson’s leads to the death of brain cells linked to clumps of alpha-synuclein proteins. As many as half of people with Parkinson’s develop cognitive difficulties.
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer’s is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder that causes memory loss, confusion, and other symptoms of cognitive decline. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia but can also be accompanied by other dementias.
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Next
What is the difference between Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies?
Parkinson's disease dementia
Physical symptoms (Parkinsonism) tend to happen first.
Tremors
Muscle stiffness
Physical changes happen first, like difficulties with movement.
Slow movement
Shuffling walk
Cognitive changes happen first, or together with physical symptoms.
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Sleep disorders
Difficulty with thinking and reasoning
Poor visual and spatial awareness
Hallucinations
Return
Next
Risk factors for Parkinson’s disease
The exact cause of Parkinson’s remains unknown. Researchers believe that a combination of:
Environmental
Genetic
Lifestyle
factors play a role in its development. About 15 percent of Parkinson’s cases appear to be driven by genetics.
Return
Next
Genetic risk
RAB32 Ser71Arg
GBA
LRRK2
Read more
Return
Next
Environmental risk
Dr. Ray Dorsey, a neurologist and co-author of “The Parkinson’s Plan: A New Path to Prevention and Treatment,” spoke with Being Patient about how pesticides, industrial chemicals and other environmental toxins are fueling Parkinson’s disease.
“Many of these diseases are not natural consequences of aging — they’re unnatural consequences. The drivers of these diseases — whether Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or dementia with Lewy bodies — in a small proportion are due to changes in our genetics (a large proportion for Alzheimer’s disease), but for most individuals, it’s due to factors in our environment.”
Dr. Ray Dorsey
READ MORE
Return
Next
Lifestyle factors
Head trauma: Head trauma may increase one’s risk of developing Parkinson’s but experts do not know if there's a severity or frequency of head trauma that increases your risk.
Smoking and heavy alcohol consumption: Researchers found that smoking and heavy alcohol consumption may contribute to the development of Parkinson’s disease.
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Next
How can you protect yourself from environmental risks?
- Eat organic food to limit exposure to pesticides
- Wash your fruits and vegetables with water and a vegetable wash, or with salt or vinegar, for at least 15 to 20 seconds.
- If you drink well water, test your water for pesticides and industrial chemicals.
- Get a water filter.
- Use an air purifier in your home, especially if you live in areas with high levels of air pollution.
- Use a green dry cleaner. Find a green dry cleaner that does not use the chemical perchloroethylene (PERC).
- Avoid using insect-killing chemicals, as many pesticides are neurotoxins.
Read more
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How is Parkinson’s treated?
There is currently no treatment to slow or halt Parkinson’s disease. Available drugs only target certain symptoms. There are clinical trials underway worldwide that are testing various treatments for Parkinson’s. For more information on trials for Parkinson’s please visit:
Michael J. Fox Trial Finder
FDA-Approved Treatments:
Deep brain stimulation
Carbidopa-levodopa
Return
Next
Want to learn more?
Visit
beingpatient.com
for the latest news and information on brain health and Alzheimer's disease
Return
One of the most common genetic risk factors for Parkinson’s disease is mutations in the glucocerebrosidase beta (GBA) gene. People with Parkinson’s who have the GBA mutation tend to experience motor issues sooner and may experience difficulty with their gait and balance.
RAB32 Ser71Arg is a genetic mutation for Parkinson’s. It interacts with several proteins linked to early and late-onset Parkinson’s, as well as non-familial Parkinson’s disease.
Deep brain stimulation involves inserting a piece of metal into the brain, connected to a battery implanted under the chest, that will act as a pacemaker to stimulate a specific group of cells. DBS was approved by the FDA for treating the earlier stages of Parkinson’s in people whose symptoms don’t respond to medications. READ MORE.
LRRK2 accounts for 1 to 2 percent of all Parkinson’s cases. However, for people of particular ethnic backgrounds like Ashkenazi Jewish and North African Berber descent, mutations in the LRRK2 gene account for greater risk.
Levodopa is a medication for Parkinson’s that passes into the brain and becomes dopamine. Levodopa is combined with carbidopa to help levodopa reach the brain and to lessen side effects of nausea which are common when taking the drug.
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Transcript
Everything you need to know about
Parkinson's Disease
by
Parkinson's symptoms and progression
Parkinson’s vs other dementias
Risks, prevention and treatment
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative movement disorder that is characterized by slowness of movement, rigidity, and tremors. After movement becomes gradually impaired, people often develop dementia. The disease is linked to the death of dopamine-producing cells, which produce the neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in motor control.
Return
Next
Common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
Tremor
Rigid and stiff muscles
Slowed movement
Difficulty writing
Changes in sleep patterns
Return
Next
Common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
Changes in speech
Difficulty with balance and posture
Loss of automatic movements
Depression or anxiety
Memory loss, difficulty with attention
Return
Next
What is the difference between Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease?
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson’s leads to the death of brain cells linked to clumps of alpha-synuclein proteins. As many as half of people with Parkinson’s develop cognitive difficulties.
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer’s is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder that causes memory loss, confusion, and other symptoms of cognitive decline. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia but can also be accompanied by other dementias.
Return
Next
What is the difference between Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies?
Parkinson's disease dementia
Physical symptoms (Parkinsonism) tend to happen first.
Tremors
Muscle stiffness
Physical changes happen first, like difficulties with movement.
Slow movement
Shuffling walk
Cognitive changes happen first, or together with physical symptoms.
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Sleep disorders
Difficulty with thinking and reasoning
Poor visual and spatial awareness
Hallucinations
Return
Next
Risk factors for Parkinson’s disease
The exact cause of Parkinson’s remains unknown. Researchers believe that a combination of:
Environmental
Genetic
Lifestyle
factors play a role in its development. About 15 percent of Parkinson’s cases appear to be driven by genetics.
Return
Next
Genetic risk
RAB32 Ser71Arg
GBA
LRRK2
Read more
Return
Next
Environmental risk
Dr. Ray Dorsey, a neurologist and co-author of “The Parkinson’s Plan: A New Path to Prevention and Treatment,” spoke with Being Patient about how pesticides, industrial chemicals and other environmental toxins are fueling Parkinson’s disease.
“Many of these diseases are not natural consequences of aging — they’re unnatural consequences. The drivers of these diseases — whether Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or dementia with Lewy bodies — in a small proportion are due to changes in our genetics (a large proportion for Alzheimer’s disease), but for most individuals, it’s due to factors in our environment.”
Dr. Ray Dorsey
READ MORE
Return
Next
Lifestyle factors
Head trauma: Head trauma may increase one’s risk of developing Parkinson’s but experts do not know if there's a severity or frequency of head trauma that increases your risk.
Smoking and heavy alcohol consumption: Researchers found that smoking and heavy alcohol consumption may contribute to the development of Parkinson’s disease.
Return
Next
How can you protect yourself from environmental risks?
Read more
Return
Next
How is Parkinson’s treated?
There is currently no treatment to slow or halt Parkinson’s disease. Available drugs only target certain symptoms. There are clinical trials underway worldwide that are testing various treatments for Parkinson’s. For more information on trials for Parkinson’s please visit:
Michael J. Fox Trial Finder
FDA-Approved Treatments:
Deep brain stimulation
Carbidopa-levodopa
Return
Next
Want to learn more?
Visit
beingpatient.com
for the latest news and information on brain health and Alzheimer's disease
Return
One of the most common genetic risk factors for Parkinson’s disease is mutations in the glucocerebrosidase beta (GBA) gene. People with Parkinson’s who have the GBA mutation tend to experience motor issues sooner and may experience difficulty with their gait and balance.
RAB32 Ser71Arg is a genetic mutation for Parkinson’s. It interacts with several proteins linked to early and late-onset Parkinson’s, as well as non-familial Parkinson’s disease.
Deep brain stimulation involves inserting a piece of metal into the brain, connected to a battery implanted under the chest, that will act as a pacemaker to stimulate a specific group of cells. DBS was approved by the FDA for treating the earlier stages of Parkinson’s in people whose symptoms don’t respond to medications. READ MORE.
LRRK2 accounts for 1 to 2 percent of all Parkinson’s cases. However, for people of particular ethnic backgrounds like Ashkenazi Jewish and North African Berber descent, mutations in the LRRK2 gene account for greater risk.
Levodopa is a medication for Parkinson’s that passes into the brain and becomes dopamine. Levodopa is combined with carbidopa to help levodopa reach the brain and to lessen side effects of nausea which are common when taking the drug.