Parkinson’s grip normally to elderly people and its
management is quite threatening. It is a neurological disease caused by
degeneration of dopamine neurones.
Parkinson ailment is a typical brain disorder which
occurs when certain nerve cells in substantia nigra die or become damaged.
Parkinson’s disease is pigeonholed as constant, progressive, degenerative
disorder of basal ganglia. These cells produce an essential chemical such as
dopamine which allows smooth, coordinated function of the body's muscles and
movement. When most of these nerve cells get damaged, patient shows symptoms of
Parkinson disease.
When person suffers from Parkinson’s disease, the area of
the brain that controls muscular movements receives less dopamine than usual.
Dopamine is an important chemical necessary for coordinating proper body
movements as well as responsible for learning, increasing motivation and
regulating moods.
The most common Parkinson disease is the Idiopathic
Parkinson. It is a group of movement disorders that have similar features and
symptoms.
Major
causes:
Till now root cause of this frightening neurological
disorder is not found by medical researchers. But medical professionals have
explored some visible causes for erupting Parkinson disease.
In Parkinson’s disorder, patient show array of symptoms
due to genetic tendency. Person who experiences trauma, other illness, or
exposure to an environmental toxin may get this disease. An environmental toxin
such as a pesticide reduces dopamine production and produces free radicals and
oxidation resulting damage. It has been acknowledged that several genes cause
symptoms in younger patients.
Myriads
of symptoms of Parkinson’s disorder:
Patients of Parkinson’s disease exhibit following symptoms:
o
Tremor of the hands, arms, legs, jaw, and
face.
o
Rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk.
o
Bradykinesia or slowness of movement and
postural instability or impaired balance and coordination.
o
Autonomic dysfunctions may also occur.
o
Many patients experience some dissimilarity
in their symptoms throughout the day.
Secondary symptoms are constipation, difficulty in
swallowing, coughing, or drooling, excessive salivation, excessive sweating,
loss of bladder and/or bowel control, loss of intellectual capacity and high
level cognitive dysfunction, mood disturbances and subtle language problems.
Individuals who have depression are more vulnerable to
Parkinson's disease at a later age. In last stage of this disease, patients
show anxiety, depression, isolation, scaling, dry skin on the face and scalp,
slow response to questions, Small, cramped handwriting, Soft, whispery voice.
Diagnostic
procedure:
Diagnose of Parkinson disease is done on the basis of
symptoms and excluding other disorders that produce similar symptoms. It is
based on medical history and neurological examination conducted by interviewing
and observing the patient using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.
After a systematic neurological examination and medical
history, the neurologist may recommend computerized tomography (CT scan) or
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scan) for complete diagnosis of Parkinson's
disease. These test may help in determining whether patients are suffering from
Parkinson's disease or they may have other disorders such as brain tumour,
stroke that produce parkinsonian symptoms.
Prompt
treatment must be given:
Since Parkinson disease is irreversible, Patients need
immediate treatment as it progresses. Parkinson's disease is a chronic disorder
that requires good management including patient and family education, support
group services, general wellness maintenance, physiotherapy, exercise, and
nutrition.
Medication and dose depends on the severity of disease.
The neurologists consider various factors such as symptoms, age, and presence
of other medical conditions. As the disease become worse, drug dosages may have
to be changed and medication routines are changed. In some severe cases, a
surgical procedure is recommended to control symptoms and improve quality of
life when medication is ineffective or when medication has side effects, such
as jerking and dyskinesias, which are intolerable.
There are three surgical procedures used by surgeons for
treating Parkinson's disease. These are ablative surgery, stimulation surgery
or deep brain stimulation (DBS), and transplantation or restorative surgery.
Deep brain stimulation is presently the most common surgical method of treatment,
but other surgical therapies that give positive results include surgical lesion
of the subthalamic nucleus and of the internal segment of the globus pallidus,
a procedure known as pallidotomy. Surgery cannot be performed for all patients.
If a patient never responded to, or responded poorly to levodopa/carbidopa,
surgery is not supportive.
Though medical science has not explored the cure for
Parkinson’s disease, patients can attain good symptom control during the first
few years of treatment, dissimilar to neurodegenerative conditions.
The prime goal of medical management of Parkinson disease
is to control the signs and symptoms for as long as possible while reducing
adverse effects.
Multidisciplinary management is needed. Ideally, all
patients should have access to:
Nurses with a special interest in Parkinson disease who
can monitor the clinical condition and adjust medication, as well as providing
ongoing support for both patient and family and a reliable source of
information about all aspects of care.
Physiotherapy has great role in controlling Parkinson
disease. It is recommended to help improve gait, balance and flexibility,
improve aerobic activity and movement initiation. Trained physiotherapists may
be able to provide specific interventions for overcoming disabilities such as
start hesitancy, freezing of gait, festination and falls. The results of
clinical trials suggest three broad physical therapy strategies which may be
useful:
- Strategy
training, e.g. instruction with reinforcement to use longer stride length.
- Management
of musculoskeletal issues, e.g. weakness and loss of range of movement.
- General
promotion of physical activity with specific interventions for fall prevention.
Speech therapy must be given to the patients of Parkinson
disease to manage with the disease. Soft
speech (hypophonia) is major problem for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Voice training can increase voice quality and audibility.
Medical professionals strongly recommend for counselling
technique to deal with patients of Parkinson disease. It can assist in the
development of self-management techniques for anxiety and depression.
Counselling may help the carer and family with coping strategies. In the last stages
of Parkinson’s disease, palliative care and advanced care planning may be helpful
for the patient and their family.
Food
options for Parkinson’s patient:
Patients of Parkinson disease must eat healthy and
recommended diet. Following foods can enhance the conditions of patients
suffering from Parkinson disease:
- Raw
foods: Raw fruits and vegetables provide antioxidants to help reduce free
radical damage and lower inflammation.
- High
fibre foods: Patients must take high fibre food to avoid constipation because
it is very common among Parkinson’s patients.
- Healthy
Fats: Consuming healthy fats can support neurological health and help prevent deteriorating
moods. Foods like wild-caught fish, avocado, coconut, pastured butter, and
sprouted nuts or seeds like walnuts and flax can help in reducing the symptoms
of Parkinson disease.
- Cold-pressed
oils: Olive oil used as salad dressing can provide essential vitamin E, which
acts as an antioxidant. Coconut oil and palm oil are also beneficial oils to
include in diet since they have anti-inflammatory effects.
- Omega-3
foods: Patients of Parkinson disease must consume Omega-3 foods to elevate
dopamine levels and reduce inflammation.
- Fresh
vegetable juices: These foods help to provide essential vitamins and mineral.
Fresh juice is also hydrating and can help with constipation.
- Protein
rich food must be taken at dinner only. Keeping protein levels moderate
throughout the day has been shown to help reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s.
- Green
Tea: Green tea contains polyphenol antioxidants that help fight free radicals.
It also contains theanine, which elevates dopamine levels in the brain. Patients
of Parkinson's disease can drink three cups a day to gain the most benefits.
To reiterate, Parkinson's disease is a common and
neurological disorder. The primary neurochemical abnormality in the brain of
Parkinson's disease, the deficiency of dopamine is well established. Patients
in advanced stage of this disease have difficulty walking, talking, or
completing other simple tasks. The disease is both chronic and progressive. But
it is to be noted that Parkinson's disease is not infectious nor is it usually hereditary.
Some medical scientists explored that Parkinson's disease may occur when either
an external or an internal toxin selectively annihilates dopaminergic neurons.
It is difficult to diagnosis Parkinson’s disease because other conditions may
produce similar symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Medical science has not yet discovered
any therapy for Parkinson's disease.
