References

https://www.dana.org/uploadedImages/Images/Spotlight_Images/DanaGuide_CH16C41_P478_spot.jpg

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10349506/

www.mayoclinic.org/appointments

parkinsons-qld.org.au/pqi-research/statistics/

www.healthline.com/health/parkinsons/life-expectancy#Overview1
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Prognosis and Statistics

The overall prognosis of Parkinson’s disease is that the brain will be affected until the neurotransmitters are so slow speech and movement may be delayed by a matter of minutes. There may also be a gradual loss of continence. Use of medication and surgery will often bring the life expectancy of those whom it reacts well with to parallel an average person.  However Parkinson’s left untreated will most likely cause an early death within the range of 15 years after diagnosis. Depending on the type or Parkinson’s it is, will also determine the life expectancy.

 

Statistics of Parkinson’s disease show that one in every three hundred and fifty Australian citizens suffers. On top of this another thirty people are diagnosed each day. In a year 2011-2012 the Australian economy lost approximately $775 million dollars. Approximately $480 million dollars of this was spent on health system and in addition to that a total of $110 million in the Australian workforce lost in productivity. On average, each person suffering from Parkinson’s disease will spend $12,000 on medical costs.  Now each year nearly 50,000 years of healthy life are lost due to the condition.

Parkinson's diagnosis and Treatment

The Parkinson’s disease does not have a specific test to diagnose it; the only way to tell for sure is to be tested by a specialized doctor that has practiced in that area. These doctors are known as neurologists and study the condition of people’s nervous system. The neurologist will take scans of the brain to measure the amount of dopamine in the brain. This will give the doctor an immediate insight to whether further scans are necessary.  The doctor will also bring any apparent symptoms, such as tremors or rigidity in to account to include in the diagnostics.

Parkinson’s disease can only be treated to a certain extent. As it is essentially slowing your body down to a stop there are no specific cures. There are however ways of reducing the symptoms and prolonging the progression of stages.  The medication that is offered to patients will often be a direct dosing to substitute the lack of dopamine in the brain. The medication will only half work as it can’t be given directly to the brain itself.  The following treatment for those that have progressed into the later stages of the disease, or do not react well with medications. For this treatment surgical procedures can be undertaken. This is where surgeons implant electrodes into a specific part of the brain. There is a generator implanted near the collar bone that transmits messages of electrical impulse to the brain.

Symptoms of Parkinsons Disease

Symptoms for Parkinson’s disease come in a vast array of forms. At the beginning of most days sufferers of Parkinson’s disease will suffer from severe rigidity. Their muscles will not allow them to be flexed and moved easily in any manner. Often carers of these people will give them a massage to help relax the muscles.  Another more prominent feature or Parkinson’s is the shaking experience. Shaking of limbs and extremity’s is referred to as a tremor and can be experienced both internally and externally.  Tremors cause the persons hand, for example, to shake completely outside the control of the person. This causes an issue in itself being that they cannot use utensils effectively to eat or pens to write. It also causes embarrassment.

Causes of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease is caused by the continual and progressive deterioration of the nerve cells, also known as neurons. This deterioration occurs in the brain, specifically in the region of the substantia nigra. There have been two genes that have been fully identified as causes of Parkinson’s though there are many more that share the same family and may also contribute.  One of these genes is called Parkin. This gene is found on the arm of the sixth chromosome and causes a dominant and also sporadic case of Parkinson’s disease. Sporadic informs us that this type of the disease can’t be inherited but is however in fact a mutation. This variant of the complex will also travel a lot faster and tends to happen to people forty plus but will be fatal after an average of nine years.

The other form of variation is that that is hereditary. Parkinson’s disease also exists on the arm for chromosome four, and is in a gene known as alpha-synuclein. This is a recessive gene and can be passed down the family line. The disease will attack people at the average age of 20 but will move slower and will be fatal after many years.